Nameberry of the Day: Raphael
April 6
Italian painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino — known in English as Raphael — died on April 6, 1512.
Together with Leonardo da Vinci and Michaelangelo, Raphael forms the traditional trio of artistic masters of the High Renaissance period (and 3 of the 4 Ninja Turtles).
Raphael is a romantic and artistic boy’s name thanks to its association with the great painter as well as its distinct, vowel-heavy sound. Like many other boy names ending in -el (Michael, Uriel, Azriel, Gabriel, etc.), Raphael is the name of a Biblical angel.
The archangel Raphael is mentioned in the Old Testament twice, is considered one of the three heavenly visitors of Abraham in Jewish tradition, is understood to be the trumpeting angel who announces the Day of Judgement in the Islamic Quaran, and is associated with healing in later Christian tradition.
Raphael has consistently ranked in the US Top 1000 as long as records have been kept, and has been floating around the middle of the charts since the ‘60s. Spanish spelling Rafael is currently sitting higher at #232.
Whichever spelling you prefer, this name has some lovely energetic nickname options, including Rafe, Rafa, and Rafi.
In case you missed these Nameberries of the Day:
Nameberry of the Week: Pascoe
This week’s Name of the Week was nominated by @Gia.berry! If you would like to nominate a name yourself, you can head over to the name of the day thread on our forums. Subscribe Happy Easter to all who celebrate! There are many names fitting for an