Meaning and background
The story behind Raphael
Raphael comes from a Hebrew name combining roots connected with healing and God. The reference also describes the archangel’s role in the Book of Tobit, giving it a specific religious history beyond the literal gloss. That history is distinct from any promise about a dog’s wellbeing. An owner may choose it for faith, a person or the written form. Compare Raphael with Rafael if the sound appeals, while preserving whichever spelling and cultural reading match the connection you actually intend.
- Origin
- Hebrew name combining roots for healing and God, associated with the archangel Raphael. Source
Try Raphael out loud
Everyday moments“Raphael, come here!”
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About Raphael
Recorded as a dog’s name
Raphael appears in 4 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/ɹɑfaɪɛl/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Other dictionary readings and notation
/ɹɑfaɪɛl/ · primary stress on syllable 3R AA2 F AY0 EH1 L
/ɹɑfjɛl/ · primary stress on syllable 2R AA2 F Y EH1 L
/ɹeɪfiəl/ · primary stress on syllable 1R EY1 F IY0 AH0 L
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
Dictionary readings have 2 or 3 syllables.
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.