Alexander vs Rafa

Alexander and Rafacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.

Head to head

Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.

England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Alexander was ranked #36 and Rafa #1951 among boys in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2021, Alexander was ranked #43 and Rafa #755 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

Alexander and Rafa over time

Alexander and Rafa appear together in 1 published list, across 14 years of shared records. Alexander held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Rafa in 0.

In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.

Alexander reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Rafa in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.

Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.

List by list

England and Wales · Boys14 shared years, 2010–2024
Alexander held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Rafa in 0.
Highest recorded here: Alexander #21 in 2010, Rafa #1869 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Alexander #36, Rafa #1951.

Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Alexander

Pairs where Alexander shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Alexander vs Garry
In 1964 they stood at #116 and #114 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, 2 places apart; by 2009 they were #50 and #701.
Alexander · Garry · 45 shared years, 1964–2009 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2009 Republic of Ireland ranking
Alexander vs Roger
In 1964 they stood at #116 and #113 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, 3 places apart; by 2021 they were #43 and #631.
Alexander · Roger · 41 shared years, 1964–2021 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2021 Republic of Ireland ranking
Craig vs Alexander
In 1997 they stood at #68 and #60 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 8 places apart; by 2015 they were #415 and #46.
Craig · Alexander · 17 shared years, 1997–2015 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2015 Northern Ireland ranking
Alexander vs Steven
In 1997 they stood at #60 and #59 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 1 places apart; by 2022 they were #47 and #414.
Alexander · Steven · 24 shared years, 1997–2022 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2022 Northern Ireland ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Alexander, Rafa
Field	Alexander	Rafa
Record type	Editorially researched profile	Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usage	male	male
Meaning	Commonly interpreted as 'defender of men' or 'protector of the people'.	Not yet recorded
Origin	Greek	Not yet recorded
Pronunciation	/ˌælɪɡˈzændər/	Not yet recorded
Syllables	4	2
Common variants / nicknames	Alex, Xander, Sasha, Alessandro	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ	GB-ENW, IE
Most recent popularity observation	United Kingdom #11 (2025)	England and Wales · Boys #1951 (2024)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	65/100	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	70/100	95/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	60/100
Data Confidence	high	medium

What the data shows

Alexander has a recorded origin (Greek); Rafa does not have one recorded yet.
Alexander has 4 syllables, compared with 2 for Rafa.
A meaning is recorded for Alexander; Rafa doesn't have one written yet.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
The available evidence gives Alexander a "high" Data Confidence level and Rafa a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.

How each name got here

Alexander

Popularity journey

First recorded1948
First recorded at #320 among boys in Norway in 1948 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2025
Highest recorded position: #8 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2014 (recorded 1952–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #22 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys

Rafa

Popularity journey

First recorded1999
First recorded at #3900 among girls in England and Wales in 1999 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #4843 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls