Joel vs Rafe
Joel and Rafecompared 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.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2022, Joel was ranked #109 and Rafe #414 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Joel was ranked #209 and Rafe #247 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Joel was ranked #278 and Rafe #352 among boys in Scotland.
Joel and Rafe over time
Joel and Rafe appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Joel held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Rafe in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Joel reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Rafe 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 · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Joel held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Rafe in 1.
Highest recorded here: Joel #62 in 2001, Rafe #210 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Joel #209, Rafe #247.
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.
Side by side
| Field | Joel | Rafe |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #178 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #247 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Joel has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Rafe.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT.
How each name got here
Joel
Popularity journey
First recorded1969
First recorded at #523 among boys in Norway in 1969 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1976–2010
Highest recorded position: #27 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1987 (recorded 1976–2010).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #178 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Rafe
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1040 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #210 among boys in England and Wales, in 2022 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #247 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys