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Baby names

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Original poster

Nicknames for Raphael

63 replies

bluemoony · 23/06/2023 08:08

Have fallen for Raphael recently.

I used to prefer Rafael but feel like it is too associated with Spain and Italy which we have no links to and gradually have come to love the PH version more.

I would appreciate peoples opinions and feedback on spellings of nicknames for Raphael out of the following options-

Raffy

Raphy

Raphie

Rapha?

Many thanks

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continentallentil · 24/06/2023 13:02

It’s very popular so I wouldn’t worry about it sounding Spanish

Raff I guess, or Rafe

sueelleker · 24/06/2023 12:57

LinaM20 · 24/06/2023 08:49

My instinct would be to shorten it to Rafe

Me too.

Uokhon · 24/06/2023 12:10

Id shorten to either Rafe or Raphe pronounced Rayf.

Gemst199 · 24/06/2023 11:53

I have a Raphael, we abbreviated to Raffie when he was little, he now goes by Raph with his friends. His little brother calls him "Raffie-el"
Spanish speakers usually abbreviate to Rafa/raffer.

Haffiana · 24/06/2023 11:34

Rafe
Rael
Ralph

SoWhatEh · 24/06/2023 11:26

I LOVE that name. Raffy/Raphy is cute when young. Rafe is nice for a teen. Or Raph.

Great name. Go for it. I wish DH had allowed it when DS1 was born.

ShowOfHands · 24/06/2023 11:18

ChiefWiggumsBoy · 24/06/2023 10:37

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES - heroes on the half shell - TURTLE POWER!

I know it's a bit long, but that's what I think about Grin

Failing that, it would be Rafe for me.

Our Raphael is named after the Ninja Turtle.

ChiefWiggumsBoy · 24/06/2023 10:37

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES - heroes on the half shell - TURTLE POWER!

I know it's a bit long, but that's what I think about Grin

Failing that, it would be Rafe for me.

octoberfarm · 24/06/2023 10:24

I absolutely love Raphael. I'd use Raphy as a nickname but you could also use Rafe, maybe (as in rhymes with "safe")?

WuTangGran · 24/06/2023 10:02

Ivy isn’t particularly Russisn.

Shahira78 · 24/06/2023 10:00

I call mine Raffoo, Raffa or Raffy depending on what kids Im in!

BlowDryRat · 24/06/2023 09:47

DS has a friend called Rafael. Everyone calls him Raf.

Marylaurence · 24/06/2023 09:30

Rafe? That would be my favourite nn.

JinnyTCat · 24/06/2023 09:27

I suspect they're thinking of Rolf Harris, paedophile? I don't think it should be a problem. Plenty of 'Jimmy's.

BestieBunch · 24/06/2023 09:16

I love it and as long as you do that’s all that matters.
I would probably abbreviate it to Rafa, but then saying that my childrens nicknames aren’t even connected to their names x

PanettoneMoly · 24/06/2023 09:11

The two Raphael’s I know are both Raph (both French). The nicknames you choose & prefer for a child do not always stick though, I have a longer rename that my parents shortened to a certain version but by the time I’d got through school, no one ever called me that apart from them. And then you hit the world of work where often you get full named anyway.

Dilbertian · 24/06/2023 09:02

Argh - my eyes! The typo! I despair of the bloody autocarrot.

Dilbertian · 24/06/2023 08:59

I know a Rafi (older Jewish adult), a Raffa (younger non-Jewish adult) and a Rafe (non-Jewish child). All males. Not sure how the last too spell their names, whether ph or f.

Personally, I like Raphael, whether pronounced Rapha-el or Rapha-yell, and I like all the nicknames I've come across for it.

waltzingparrot · 24/06/2023 08:54

In our house, he'd be known as Rapho. Everyone gets their name shortened with an O on the end.

LinaM20 · 24/06/2023 08:49

My instinct would be to shorten it to Rafe

ShowOfHands · 23/06/2023 16:41

People think about nicknames because as the proverb says, loved is the child of many names. We choose a name we love AND we abbreviate it, often as a sign of affection.

My Raphael is known by his full name or as Raph, Raphy, RiffRaff, Raffles, Rafadoodles, RifferRafferRoosey. All developed organically. He's 11 and despairs.

bossybloss · 23/06/2023 16:35

Rafi all the time for me!

Flockameanie · 23/06/2023 16:34

the only Raphael I know (adult) is and has always been a Raph. He’s a top guy, so I’ve always had a soft spot for the name as a result.

WoolyMammoth55 · 23/06/2023 16:33

If you're considering using the f for Raffy then I'd use the f for Rafa instead. It's a really lovely name but I think Rapha looks like a typo!

JaninaDuszejko · 23/06/2023 16:33

Rafa