Rafi

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic رَافِع (rāfiʕ, “hoister, exalter, raiser”) or رَفِيع (rafīʕ, “elevated, high, noble”). This surname is predominantly found in Bangladesh.

Proper noun

Rafi (plural Rafis)

1. A surname from Arabic.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Rafi is the 37492^nd most common surname in the United States, belonging to 594 individuals. Rafi is most common among Asian/Pacific Islander (60.44%) and White (27.1%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Rafi”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 3, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN.

Spanish

Proper noun

Rafi f

1. a diminutive of the female given name Rafaela