Rafferty: meaning and UK use

What does Rafferty mean?

Rafferty comes from an Irish surname derived from the given name Rabhartach. The reviewed reference gives flood tide, not the previous unsupported shorthand abundance.

Language or name family covered

Irish surname name

Meaning or derivation

Through Rabhartach, meaning flood tide

Our browsing group

boy; modern, international

Browsing groups describe our editorial shortlist, not rules about who may use a name. A name can cross languages and genders.

Sources for this entry — reviewed 2026-10-07:

• Behind the Name — Rafferty

Pronunciation and related forms

RAF-uh-tee (British English)

English respellings are approximate; IPA is labelled where used. Follow the pronunciation a person or family chooses, and check it with a speaker of the intended language if that connection matters to you.

No variants or nicknames have been verified for this entry. A family nickname does not need to be an established dictionary form.

How popular is Rafferty?

In 2025, 262 baby boys in England and Wales were registered as Rafferty, making it the 193rd most popular boys’ name. That is up 28 places on 2024, when it ranked 221st. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it ranked 289th, so it has climbed 96 places in a decade. Its best year in the ONS series was 2023, at 172nd. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (boys)

193rd

2025 registrations

262

Best rank in this series

172nd (2023)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Rafferty: rank and number of baby boys by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	193	262
2024	221	222
2023	172	298
2022	179	285
2021	208	255
2020	257	184
2019	282	173
2018	273	183
2017	278	187
2016	280	181
2015	289	164
2014	365	114
2013	375	108
2012	338	131
2011	378	106
2010	406	96
2009	570	58
2008	514	67
2007	631	46
2006	644	43
2005	726	34
2004	688	34
2003	889	22
2002	1190	13
2001	1379	10
2000	2501	4
1999	—	Not published
1998	—	Not published
1997	—	Not published
1996	—	Not published

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 boys series is 3,280. This is a lower bound where years are suppressed, not the number of living people with the name. A best rank is the best position within this series; it does not establish an all-time record.

Sources: ONS release, 2025; girls' dataset; boys' dataset. Our 20 top-ten positions were checked against Table 1 in the 2025 workbooks. The history chart and spelling comparisons come from the separate ONS 1996–2025 workbook, checked 7 October 2026. Spelling variants are separate entries. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate statistics.

Try Rafferty with your surname

Preview the full name and initials below. This stays on this page, is not saved and is not sent to us. The preview does not check legal registration or passport rules.

Middle names (optional)

Surname

Type a surname to preview the full name, initials and character count.

• Say “Rafferty” followed by your surname, then add any middle names. Listen for repeated sounds or an unintended phrase.
• Write the full initials. Try the everyday form and any nickname you expect to use.
• Ask someone to read Rafferty without prompting, then decide whether explaining its spelling or pronunciation would bother you.
• If a cultural or family connection is important, confirm the intended language and written form before settling on a translation.

Names to compare with Rafferty

These suggestions share a browsing group and one or more of our style tags or source-context labels. They are taste comparisons, not etymological relatives or a popularity ranking.

• Aaravinternational, modern · Crying, howling or noise
• Finnmodern, international · An Irish form of Fionn
• Kaimodern, international · Sea in the Hawaiian entry
• Lucainternational, modern · A form of Lucas or Luke
• Vihaaninternational, modern · Dawn or morning
• Zaynmodern, international · Beauty or grace

Read the UK naming guide for the difference between inspiration lists and official statistics, or return to the full name finder.

Registering or changing the name

Once you decide on Rafferty, confirm the registration process for your UK nation with the register office. If you later want to change a registered name, the route depends on the circumstances and may require consent from people with parental responsibility.

Start with GOV.UK birth registration or GOV.UK guidance on changing a child’s name. Our registration guide and child name-change guide explain where to find the relevant official process.