Rafe or Raife?

[Moonandstars124]

Me and my husband are due our 3rd son in August we both really like the name Rafe/Raife but unsure on which way to spell it?

please can you help which way would you spell it Rafe or Raife? And what are your thoughts on the name?

Ralph.

But if you had to spell it phonetically, then Rafe.

Oh gosh, mumsnet and names 🙄
I would see Ralph/ Ralf and Rafe/Raife to rhyme with waif as completely different names with Rafe being a slightly preferred spelling and either being preferable to Ralph.

Ralph or Rafferty would be the best choice….normal names.

Pretty much the only useful contribution 👏👏👏👏
(Including my own haha)

Hmmm. They’re not.

Rafe, it’s now the standard spelling in the UK for the pronunciation you want.

I’ve never seen Raife, and he will just spend his life spelling it out

Rafe is also a perfectly legitimate and traditional spelling, that won’t have him spending his life saying ‘it’s said Rafe not Ralf ‘.

Ralph

Raife is one of my favourite boys name
one of our cats is called Raife, we ran out of children to name!! 😆

I spelt it Rafe for my boy. He’s 4 and I’ve met one other and know of one ‘celeb’ couple that’s used it in recent years. It’s quite rare and gets a lot of compliments!

I don't understand all the people who are saying Ralph is the 'correct' name.

Ralph isn't the name that OP is giving her child, so it's obviously not the 'correct' name.

They are naming him Raife/ Rafe which has a completely different sound and pronunciation and is clearly not Ralph.

OP, just ignore these stupid comments and call your son what you like!

I prefer the spelling Raife and I think it's a lovely name.

Umm…Ralph to rhyme with “waif” is an extremely traditional spelling and pronunciation in England of the name to give the sound Op wants - it was around long before Rafe. It isn’t a “different name with a completely different sound” unless you only think Ralph is said “Ralf”. Which it isn’t, as has been pointed out repeatedly on the thread already.

Some people prefer a phonetic spelling like Rafe which is definitely becoming more popular and is down to preference, but posters suggesting using Ralph certainly aren’t the ones being “stupid”.

Op, Rafe is a perfectly fine name. It’s a common enough spelling that it won’t raise eyebrows and you’ll avoid pronunciation issues, but Raife just looks like a bit of a hodgepodge of vowels for no reason - the “e” is superfluous if you have the “ai” in the middle, and the “i” looks a bit odd and out of place.

It's irrelevant regardless.

OP isn't asking about Ralph. She didn't mention Ralph. People are coming onto the thread and telling her that her choices are 'incorrect', which is absolutely ridiculous.

A name can't be 'incorrect' - if someone is named something then it is their name, regardless of what others think of the way it is spelled or pronounced.

OP is asking about two options - Rafe or Raife - I have no idea why people are coming on saying 'it's Ralph'.

OP knows what she wants to name her child and is asking for opinions between two spellings.

(Also, the vast majority of people, on reading the spelling 'R-a-l-p-h' are going to pronounce that 'Ralf' regardless of tradition and history - it's a daft way to spell the name if you want people to pronounce it 'Rafe' - most people wont do that).

The “vast majority” of people aren’t going to read it as Ralf because people understand that a very common pronunciation of it in the UK is the way that Ralph Fiennes pronounces it, which is why so many people have suggested it.

It’s only really younger people that I know that default to Ralf because they’re thinking of Ralph Wiggums from the Simpsons. Sure, some will assume it like you did, but once corrected will get it right unless they’re being deliberately obtuse.

Each spelling has potential issues. Rafe may well get “raffy” because it’s a common nn for Rafferty or Raphael which are both becoming more common. Raife will likely get “Ra-eef” because it doesn’t look like a typical English name so they’ll default to a more Arabic sounding pronunciation, so neither are any more sensible that Ralph.

Op can name her child what she wants but at least now she knows what a people will think depending on the spelling she chooses, and as demonstrated by the thread, there will be plenty of people thinking “hmm, should have gone with the classic”.

Declaring it “stupid” to point out that there is an alternative and saying that an accepted, classic spelling is “daft” doesn’t make you look any better than the people you’re insulting.

I've only come across Rafe as a phonetic alternative to Ralph.
If I saw Raife I'd wonder if it was pronounced differently , Ra-eef for example.
So I'd vote for Rafe.

Rafe - the usual spelling.

Ralph is the usual spelling though!

Ralph Fiennes isn’t called “Ralf Fiennes” he’s called “Rafe Fiennes”.