Is Rafe a real name?

[tortoiseonthehalfshell]

When we were expecting our first, my husband put forth Rafe for a boy. Old english, he tells me, he's read it in Simon Schama.

I said I would only consider if it was actually a real name and not a nn or something he'd made up . We couldn't find any reference to it and we had a girl anyway so issue moot.

Anyway, am reading Wolf Hall now, set Tudor era, and have just come across a character called Rafe, not short for anything.

So, does that mean he's right, it's an actual old English name? Because if so, I am honour bound to consider it for Hypothetical Future Son.

And, do you like it?

Yes, it is a real name, a friend of my dad's was called Rafe (he would now be in his 80's, if he's still alive, so it's not just a recent invention).

Do I like? i'm pretty ambivalent about it. It's OK but wouldn't be my choice.

I don't know about Rafe spelled like that but I do know that Rafe is the way Ralph is pronounced by (mostly) posher people. (e.g. Ralph Fiennes, not to be confused with Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who is his 3rd cousin according to Wiki)

But if you want him to be called Rafe, you're best off spelling it Rafe in Australia, or he'll be called Ralf.

Ralph (however it is pronounced) has a good long history - I don't mind it but it doesn't really do much for me either.

Yes, Ralph Fiennes was what I thought of too, but I don't want a) to call a child Ralph and have them constantly correcting the pronounciation or b) calling him 'Rafe' just because it's the phonetic spelling of Ralph, if you see what I mean.

This was the subject of much discussion a year ago, can you tell?

• give it up then and go for something else (not Anthony)

In the UK, few people will be confused -- they will pronounce Ralph "Rafe". In other countries (US, Australia), he will be Ralf as thumbwitch said.

Call him Raphael, Rafe for short (I have a very cool and sexy 30-something friend called Raphael, and I love the name).

Beanlet - I think there could be confusion with 'ralph' in the UK. I wouldn't know which of the 2 pronunciatons would be used in each individual case. Maybe I'm the exception though.

There is an actor called Rafe Spall - son of Timothy Spall. I like it.

Ralph "it's pronounced Rafe" is one of those names which is sneakily designed to can catch people out if they are not "in the know" about posh names. St John (pronounced Sinjun) is another one.

I really like Rafe. This is interesting altho have no idea if its accurate:
www.babynames.com/name/RAFE

I've come across the spelling Raife?

wasnt one of the contestants on The Apprentice called Rafe? I quite like it

My friend has a Rafe Sebastian.

Not to my taste at all.

ozmetric - my grandfather is Ralph pronounced Rafe and people would often say to me "I know your grandfather Ralph very well" and in my head I would think "Not that well if you've never called him by his first name".

I also have an uncle St. John on the catholic side of the family as it happens. So difficult names on both sides.

I quite like the name Rafe and I would have probably used that spelling if I had named a child after my grandfather.

I thought it was short for raphael. which i always think of being spanish/portugese/italian. 3 musketers type thing.
Rafi/rafe being shortened version of this. I like rafe. But only if his full name is raphael.

My father has Ralph as a middle name and was called that name becuase his father had the same first name as him, although he was never known by Ralph apart from the family. However, his is not pronounced Rafe, its pronounced Ralph. OK, so we're not a particularly posh family, but you can't presume that just because Ralph is pronounced Rafe when partnered with Fiennes, its always pronounced that way....

Ozmetric - I knew the Sinjun pronunciation of St John - but I honestly thought that Ralph could be pronounced either way in the UK - maybe I've been watching too many american tv programmes/films!

Wasn't the actor Ralph Richardson a "Ralf" rather than a "Rafe"?

Either way, OP, I think that if you want it to be pronounced Rafe, I'd go for that spelling. I think it looks nicer too.

Yes I think it can be pronounced either way.

Thanks for that MrsvWoolf! Presumably same derivation then as the German Rolf? In which case both Rafe/Ralf possible? (and of course, who really knows how Ralph was pronounced before the advent of recorded sound?!)

I grew up in Australia, where it is most definitely always Ralf, but I don't know anyone who pronounces it like that in the UK (been here 15 years) -- bit embarrassed if that just means I've been hanging around with a certain group of people. . .

I know 2 Ralphs in the UK, one pronounced Ralf (the one I knew longer) and the other pronounced Rafe. In fact, I was in my 20s before I even knew that Rafe was actually commonly spelt Ralph - I thought it was a different name (I did know about Sinjun though).

So beanlet - yes, you might be hanging around with a certain type of people in the UK!! Certainly wouldn't take it for granted that people would pronounce it Rafe generally.

TOrtoise - any thoughts? Anyway, you might get another girl so it's all theoretical anyway, hey.

I knew a Rafe, short for Raphael, and a Rafe who was simply Rafe. So yup, a real name.

my brother is rafe. He lives in a mad isylum

I've met quite a few Ralphs in my time and never heard them pronnounce it as Rafe, except for on the TV. And how on earth can St John reasonably be pronnounced Sinjun????
My mind is boggling.........[comfused]

Ralph is Ralph and Rafe is Rafe......?????

Our son is Rafe, it is were Ralph comes from the 'lph' part was only added when the French invaded. 2 of my friends are historians.

I think Ralph Finnes say's his is pronounced Rafe as Ralph isn't as nice?

Current thread running about Rafe...!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/baby_names/919107-What-do-you-think-of-Rafe