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HelpWhat nickname would you use for Raphael?
I like Raphael very much, but I think it would be a bit much to use that full name all the time. Especially during childhood. I like Rafe for a nickname (pronounced RAYF) but I also like Rafa.
What do you think? Which nn works best in an English speaking country? Which is your favorite?
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Replies
I like Rafe. The only Raphael I knew went by Rae.
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None
But if I had to, I'd use something completely unrelated. Like Teddy. Raphael is lovely, but the nicknames derived from it are AWFUL.
But if I had to, I'd use something completely unrelated. Like Teddy. Raphael is lovely, but the nicknames derived from it are AWFUL.
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My fave is Raf, but Rafe is also alright.
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I knew a Raphael once who was known as Rafi (RAYfee): nice name, nice person.
Rafa is very tennis at the moment, but moments pass. And Raff (like Riff Raff, the mad butler in Rocky Horror!) could be cool.
Rafa is very tennis at the moment, but moments pass. And Raff (like Riff Raff, the mad butler in Rocky Horror!) could be cool.
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I agree, Rafa does remind me of Rafael Nadal, but by the time I have kids, it might not be so obvious.
Also, Raff just sounds weird to me. I don't know why. It might be because it sounds like Rap? Couldn't tell you.
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Raff sounds canine to me, like a naughty pooch trying to annoy a distant postman. But at certain stages of a boy's life, that could be perfect!
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My favorite is Rafe, but if I actually had a Raphael is real life, I would use Raff instead, as Rafe sounds too close to Laif (my husband's name) and I think it would cause too much confusion.
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esp. in eastern Asian countries where people have a hard time differentiating between r and l sounds.
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We're using Raff / Raffy
On the TV show In Plain Sight there was a character named Raphael with the nn Raf. Since my husband doesn't like Rafe we decided to go with Raf. (I'm 90% sure our first son will be Raphael.)
On the TV show In Plain Sight there was a character named Raphael with the nn Raf. Since my husband doesn't like Rafe we decided to go with Raf. (I'm 90% sure our first son will be Raphael.)
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Rafe.
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I prefer the full name, but Rafe or Raffy could work as nns... Guess Rafa could be ok... maybe let the kid decide since he has to put up w/ people calling him that.
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children's songs
1 thing for my generation and some around it would be that the name Raffy would bring back memories of Raffy records (yes, records) with "Baby Beluga" and other songs he recorded.
1 thing for my generation and some around it would be that the name Raffy would bring back memories of Raffy records (yes, records) with "Baby Beluga" and other songs he recorded.
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This is why I didn't mention Raphy hahaha
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The singer spells it Raffi.
I think it's not that uncommon as a childhood nick for Raphael, esp. in other parts of the world where Raphael might be more common. It seems extremely unlikely that people would think that was a negative connection. The nickname of the 4 year old Raphael "Raffy" I know might make people say to themselves, Oh, now I get it, Raffi the singer is short for Raphael! but it certainly isn't worth mentioning as a connection since they call him Raphael much of the time and it's obviously a short form of Raphael. I'd think that when Raphael is old enough to get annoyed by people singing Raffi songs at him, his would-be teasers would be way too cool to sing Raffi songs out loud anyway.
Anyway, I'd call my son Raffy if his name was Raphael. YMMV
I think it's not that uncommon as a childhood nick for Raphael, esp. in other parts of the world where Raphael might be more common. It seems extremely unlikely that people would think that was a negative connection. The nickname of the 4 year old Raphael "Raffy" I know might make people say to themselves, Oh, now I get it, Raffi the singer is short for Raphael! but it certainly isn't worth mentioning as a connection since they call him Raphael much of the time and it's obviously a short form of Raphael. I'd think that when Raphael is old enough to get annoyed by people singing Raffi songs at him, his would-be teasers would be way too cool to sing Raffi songs out loud anyway.
Anyway, I'd call my son Raffy if his name was Raphael. YMMV
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I'd think that when Raphael is old enough to get annoyed by people singing Raffi songs at him, his would-be teasers would be way too cool to sing Raffi songs out loud anyway.
lol
lol
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On the spelling of Raffi, I know it isn't spelled Raphy, but if I were to use the nn, that's probably how I'd spell it.
And I'm not actually concerned that a child called Raphy would be constantly annoyed by Raffi comments lol. I just don't like the nickname because Raffi is my own association with it. Raffi doesn't inspire me to have a son with the same nickname haha.
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A couple I know sometimes call their son Raphael "Rafi" ... not sure how they'd spell that. It approximately rhymes with taffy, maybe a slightly longer A - same vowel as in Raphael. I think it is the best nickname for Raphael.
Rafe pronounced RAYF doesn't seem like a nickname for Raphael, IMO, since it's basically Ralph and the different pronunciation from Raphael makes it seem contrived to me. Raf (rhyme laugh) would work, and no I don't think the term "riff raff" would ruin it. I think it sounds nicknamey. Rafa seems contrived to me, too.
Rafe pronounced RAYF doesn't seem like a nickname for Raphael, IMO, since it's basically Ralph and the different pronunciation from Raphael makes it seem contrived to me. Raf (rhyme laugh) would work, and no I don't think the term "riff raff" would ruin it. I think it sounds nicknamey. Rafa seems contrived to me, too.
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how is it Ralph? There's no l until the end of Raphael... and the roots are completely different.
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Rafe is Ralph. Raphael isn't. That's why I don't think Rafe is a nick for Raphael (but I think it's more important that they don't sound the same: Rafe is RAYF / Raphael is RAHF or RAFF).
I didn't know Rafe = Ralph either until I read the BtN entry ... but then, I had never even heard of the name Rafe until BtN.
I didn't know Rafe = Ralph either until I read the BtN entry ... but then, I had never even heard of the name Rafe until BtN.
This message was edited 12/19/2011, 9:38 AM
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Some people may use Rafe as a nn for Raphael... sometimes you just have to know which case it is for certain people... just like Kate could be for Kathryn or Kathleen or Katelynn or just Kate or Katie and you can't just assume which it is. The main difference is that those are at least related.
Jenny/Genny could just be Jenny or could be Jennifer or Geneva or Genevieve. Doesn't mean it's only valid for 1 of those even though they're totally different names.
Jenny/Genny could just be Jenny or could be Jennifer or Geneva or Genevieve. Doesn't mean it's only valid for 1 of those even though they're totally different names.
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Well I wouldn't have the problem of Ralph/Rafe because in the US, Ralph is pronounced RALF, not RAYF.
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Uh huh, I know. But Rafe is a form of Ralph, and also doesn't even sound like the Raph in Raphael. I guess if I didn't know Rafe = Ralph, I might dislike Rafe for Rafael a bit less, but I'd still think it sounded contrived. YMMV
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Rafe is good. I also like Raffi. And Fell (which is only slightly related, but atill sounds cool.) I think Raffi is my favorite though :)
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