Explore the Family Name Raffel
The meaning of Raffel
1. German: nickname for someone who was loud or indiscreet, a blabber, from Middle High German raffeln ‘to be noisy, to scold’. 2. German: from an unexplained personal name, Raffo. Compare Raff. 3. English: variant of Rayfield. 4. English: perhaps from a Middle English Raf(f)el, possibly a pet form of Rafe (Ralph), but as yet there is no medieval evidence for this. Some post-medieval spellings have been influenced by the name of the archangel Raphael and others by placenames in -field, though derivation from Raphael (the name of the archangel) is improbable as it seems to have been used in England only after the Reformation. This surname is now rare in Britain. 5. Scottish: variant of Revels. Some characteristic forenames: German Erwin, Horst, Mathias.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Raffel in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Raffel has seen a slight decrease over time. In 2000, it was ranked 36,232 in terms of commonality and this slightly dropped to 36,630 by 2010, showing a minor change of -1.1%. Interestingly, the count of individuals with this surname increased from 584 to 610 during the same period, representing a growth rate of 4.45%, but the proportion per 100k people dipped by 4.55%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #36,232 | #36,630 | -1.1% |
| Count | 584 | 610 | 4.45% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.22 | 0.21 | -4.55% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Raffel
The census also provides insight into the ethnic identity associated with the surname Raffel. The majority of individuals with this surname identified as White in both 2000 and 2010, although the percentage decreased from 96.58% to 93.93%. During the same period, there was an increase in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (from 0.86% to 0.98%) and Hispanic (from 1.54% to 3.11%). The proportion of individuals identifying as two or more races also rose significantly, from 0.86% to 1.48%. However, the data showed no individuals with the surname Raffel identifying as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either 2000 or 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 96.58% | 93.93% | -2.74% |
| Hispanic | 1.54% | 3.11% | 101.95% |
| Two or More Races | 0.86% | 1.48% | 72.09% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.86% | 0.98% | 13.95% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |