boy's name
Rafferty
RAF-ər-tee
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 3,597
England and Wales
#193
2025 births
Rafferty is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "floodtide" or "abundance." It anglicizes Ó Raifeartaigh, and the flood image is a compliment — a rising tide meaning prosperity rather than disaster.
- Rafferty is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in England and Wales in 2023, when 298 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in England and Wales.
- Today about 1 in 2,011 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 2000.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Rafferty over time
Births per decade in England and Wales, 2000s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 2000s | 331 |
| 2010s | 1,443 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,510 |
What Rafferty means
Rafferty means bearer of prosperity, or floodtide. The Irish rabhartach describes a spring tide, and the sense is of abundance arriving rather than of destruction.
Where Rafferty comes from
Rafferty anglicizes the Irish Ó Raifeartaigh, from rabhartach, meaning a flood tide or spring tide, used figuratively for abundance and prosperity. The image is positive: a high tide brought fish and cleared harbors. The surname belongs chiefly to Ulster. Its use as a first name is recent and distinctly British — Jude Law and Sadie Frost named a son Rafferty in 1996, and our records show the name's British rise following that.
Rafferty in use
Our data shows Rafferty rising and it first appears in our records in 2000. It belongs to the British taste for long Irish surnames as first names, with Flynn, Finnegan and Sullivan — a group with far more presence in Britain than in Ireland itself.
How popular is Rafferty?
In 2025, Rafferty was given to 262 babies in England and Wales, ranking #193 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Rafferty is used
Figures for England and Wales withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Rafferty
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Rafferty also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Rafferty over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Rafferty
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Rafferty in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Rafferty
Sibling names for Rafferty
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Rafferty — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Rafferty
What does the name Rafferty mean?
Rafferty means "floodtide" or "abundance," from the Irish rabhartach.
Is floodtide a good meaning?
Yes — the image is of abundance arriving. A high tide brought fish and cleared harbors.
Is Rafferty used in Ireland?
As a surname, chiefly in Ulster. As a first name it is more British than Irish.
How popular is the name Rafferty?
In 2025, Rafferty was given to 262 babies in England and Wales, ranking #193 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Is Rafferty a girl's or a boy's name?
Rafferty is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Rafferty?
Rafferty has 3 syllables.
When was Rafferty most popular?
Rafferty peaked in 2023, when 298 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Rafferty?
Rafferty is usually shortened to Raff, Rafe and Raffy.
Is Rafferty a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Rafferty currently ranks #193 in England and Wales. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.