| Raphael | Bellamy | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God has healed | Fine friend |
| Origin | French | french |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | rah-fah-EL | BEL-uh-mee |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1882 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2025 (807) | 2021 (447) |
| In 2025 | 807 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Raphael | Bellamy |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 3,992 | 2,341 |
| 2010s | 4,722 | 673 |
| 2000s | 3,173 | 0 |
| 1990s | 2,952 | 0 |
| 1980s | 2,286 | 0 |
| 1970s | 1,762 | 0 |
| 1960s | 1,107 | 0 |
| 1950s | 893 | 0 |
| 1940s | 655 | 0 |
| 1930s | 688 | 0 |
| 1920s | 1,001 | 0 |
| 1910s | 767 | 0 |
| 1900s | 136 | 0 |
| 1890s | 96 | 0 |
| 1880s | 28 | 0 |
Raphaël is the French form of Raphael, “God has healed.”
From Old French bel ami 'beautiful/fine friend' (bel from Latin bellus 'beautiful' + ami 'friend'). NOTE: 'beautiful' here modifies 'friend' (a fine or handsome companion) rather than naming beauty outright, but the bellus root is explicit.
Raphael is more popular than Bellamy today: about 807 US babies were given the name Raphael in 2025, compared with 0 named Bellamy.
Raphael means God has healed (French origin), while Bellamy means Fine friend (french origin).
In US records, Raphael first appears in 1882 and Bellamy in 0, so Bellamy has the longer recorded history.