Thirty years of Rafferty
Rafferty in numbers
Rafferty has risen from 4 boys in 2000 (its first published year) to 262 in 2025, though it is below its peak of 298 in 2023. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2020 and 2023, from 184 to 298. On average it was given to 33 boys a year in the 2000s, 144 in the 2010s and 251 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year+18%222 to 262
- 5 years+42%184 to 262
- 10 years+60%164 to 262
- 20 years+671%34 to 262
- Since 2000 (first published)×664 to 262
- Total, 1996 to 20253,280boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 193 · ONS · 222 in 2024
Rank 441 · NRS · 9 in 2024
Fewer than 3 babies, or not published · NISRA
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | =193 | 262 | +18% | 1 in 1,148 |
| 2024 | 221 | 222 | -26% | 1 in 1,374 |
| 2023 | =172 | 298 | +5% | 1 in 1,017 |
| 2022 | 179 | 285 | +12% | 1 in 1,090 |
| 2021 | 208 | 255 | +39% | 1 in 1,255 |
| 2020 | 257 | 184 | +6% | 1 in 1,709 |
| 2019 | 282 | 173 | -5% | 1 in 1,902 |
| 2018 | 273 | 183 | -2% | 1 in 1,845 |
| 2017 | =278 | 187 | +3% | 1 in 1,861 |
| 2016 * | =280 | 181 | +10% | 1 in 1,967 |
| 2015 | 289 | 164 | +44% | 1 in 2,184 |
| 2014 | =365 | 114 | +6% | 1 in 3,130 |
| 2013 | =375 | 108 | -18% | 1 in 3,318 |
| 2012 | 338 | 131 | +24% | 1 in 2,857 |
| 2011 | =378 | 106 | +10% | 1 in 3,500 |
| 2010 | =406 | 96 | +66% | 1 in 3,864 |
| 2009 | =570 | 58 | -13% | 1 in 6,244 |
| 2008 | =514 | 67 | +46% | 1 in 5,417 |
| 2007 | =631 | 46 | +7% | 1 in 7,706 |
| 2006 | =644 | 43 | +26% | 1 in 7,963 |
| 2005 | =726 | 34 | +0% | 1 in 9,723 |
| 2004 | =688 | 34 | +55% | 1 in 9,657 |
| 2003 | =889 | 22 | +69% | 1 in 14,473 |
| 2002 | =1,190 | 13 | +30% | 1 in 23,542 |
| 2001 | =1,379 | 10 | +150% | 1 in 30,461 |
| 2000 | =2,501 | 4 | 1 in 77,403 | |
| 1999 | n/a | under 3 | ||
| 1998 | n/a | under 3 | ||
| 1997 | n/a | under 3 | ||
| 1996 | n/a | under 3 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Rafferty
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Rafferty is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate