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Raffel Family History

Raffel Surname Meaning

German: nickname for someone who was loud or indiscreet, a blabber from Middle High German raffeln ‘to be noisy, to scold’. German: from an unexplained personal name Raffo. Compare Raff.

English: variant of Rayfield. English: perhaps from a Middle English Raf(f)el, possibly a pet form of Rafe (Ralph), but as yet there is no medieval evidence for this.

Some post-medieval spellings have been influenced by the name of the archangel Raphael and others by placenames in -field, though derivation from Raphael (the name of the archangel) is improbable as it seems to have been used in England only after the Reformation.

This surname is now rare in Britain. Scottish: variant of Revels.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Raffel family from?

You can see how Raffel families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Raffel family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Raffel families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 22 Raffel families living in London. This was about 38% of all the recorded Raffel's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Raffel families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Raffel surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Raffel ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Raffel. 100% of Raffel women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Raffel | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    100%

What Raffel family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 3,000 census records available for the last name Raffel. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Raffel census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Raffel

Passenger Lists

There are 871 immigration records available for the last name Raffel. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Raffel immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Raffel. For the veterans among your Raffel ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Raffel military records

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What is the average Raffel lifespan?

Between 1946 and 2004, in the United States, Raffel life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1946, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Raffel in 1946 was 41, and 70 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Raffel

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Raffel ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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