Luca vs Rafia
Luca and Rafiacompared 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 · Girls
In 2024, Luca was ranked #3318 and Rafia #3695 among girls in England and Wales.
Luca and Rafia over time
Luca and Rafia appear together in 1 published list, across 25 years of shared records. Luca held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Rafia in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Rafia reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Luca 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.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Luca and Rafia changed places 7 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #3318 and #3695.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls25 shared years, 1996–2024
Luca held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Rafia in 3.
Highest recorded here: Luca #1628 in 2003, Rafia #1646 in 1996.
The order changed in 2013: Luca moved ahead. In 2012 they stood at #3285 and #2969; by 2013 that had become #2649 and #5742.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Luca #3318, Rafia #3695.
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 | Luca | Rafia |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | female |
| Meaning | The Italian and Romanian form of Lucas, itself probably a shortened form of the Greek 'Loukanos', meaning 'from Lucania' (a region of southern Italy). | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Italian, via Greek Loukas | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈluːkə/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 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 |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #4 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #3695 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Luca has a recorded origin (Italian, via Greek Loukas); Rafia does not have one recorded yet.
- Luca and Rafia both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Luca; Rafia doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
How each name got here
Luca
Popularity journey
First recorded1973
First recorded at #603 among boys in Norway in 1973 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded2004–2023
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in New Zealand, in 2023 (recorded 2004–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #4 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Rafia
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1646 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1646 among girls in England and Wales, in 1996 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #3695 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls