Our DS is due soon and both DH and I really like Raphael (nn Raphy) but I am unsure whether it is 'too much'. I associate it with Italian/Spanish heritage and we have none of that at all. I also think of it as quite a middle class name, and we live in a very working class area.
The ninja turtle connection doesn't bother me. I don't think kids are as into the ninja turtles anymore and sharing a name with a cool turtle doesn't sound too bad really.
I love the name and feel quite attached to it, but when I imagine telling people the name, I imagine potentially some raised eyebrows.
Maybe I'm being overly cautious. It's our first child and I think I'm basing my ideas off of when I was in primary school and loads of us had the same names as each other (classes full of the top 20 names basically). I know having a unique name is more popular now, and compared to a lot of his classmates, his name probably wouldn't be that out there.
If not Raphael then my next favourite name is Caleb. I like the name and it feels a bit safer I suppose. I'm not in love with it in the same way but I can definitely imagine coming around to it.