WDYT of [name]Rafe[/name]? A lot of people say it sounds like rape but I don’t hear that AT ALL! [name]Do[/name] you prefer it on its own, or as a short for for [name]Ralph[/name] of [name]Raphael[/name]? Any other opinions are welcome as well 
I prefer it spelled [name]Ralph[/name] or [name]Ralf[/name]. I have heard it as a nn for [name]Raphael[/name], but I prefer [name]Ralph[/name]/[name]Ralf[/name].
I don’t care for it much. It means weak/limp, and the sound doesn’t appeal to me.
I considered it as a nickname for [name]Rafferty[/name], but to me it sounds far too much like rape, so I had to let it go. D:
I have a friend named [name]Rafael[/name] that goes by [name]Rafe[/name], but he is Mexican and pronounces it Rah-fee. I like it pronounced that way, but not the other way. It does sound like rape to me.
[name]Rafe[/name] is okay. It’s always felt too alpha-male he-man to me, sadly. I do like [name]Raphael[/name] a lot, though, and [name]Rafe[/name] (or even Raph/[name]Raff[/name]) would be a cool nn for it!
I like [name]Rafe[/name] a lot! I like it as a stand alone name and as a NN. I don’t understand the rape thing at all, and even if someone misheard it I think they would know you did not name your son rape, I mean come on some names are bad but that would just be ridiculous. I like it as a NN for [name]Raphael[/name], and you could use [name]Rafa[/name] as an alternative NN too. 
I like [name]Raphael[/name] much better than [name]Rafe[/name]. I do hear Rape and Rake. When I say Rake i mean the historical meaning of the word, “old-fashioned a man who behaves in an immoral way, for example by having sexual relationships with a lot of women”
I know a lot of people don’t know that definition so it’s not a problem, but I read a lot of fantasy and historical books so they use it in this way.
In conclusion, I don’t like [name]Rafe[/name] as a nickname. I’d use Raph or Raf (with a like in apple sound) as a nickname for [name]Raphael[/name] or [name]Ralph[/name].
I love [name]Rafe[/name] lately. If someone hears ‘rape’ then they would hear it once, be corrected and know how to say it. I think it is very handsome but rugged.
Sounds like waif also, and that’s not manly or strong at all.
I really like [name]Rafe[/name]! (ray-ff) As a stand alone name only though, I don’t like any of the longer names being suggested.
Also, it was the name of one of the guys in [name]Pearl[/name] [name]Harbor[/name] portrayed by [name]Ben[/name] Affleck, that’s my first thought when I think of the name.
I asked my Fiance about Rafe, and what he heard when I said it. He heard Rafe, and he doesn’t ‘get’ how anyone hears rape because they are two completely different sounds.
I love the name [name]Raphael[/name], but [name]Rafe[/name] does sound like rape. Rael (prn the like word ‘rail’) might be a better nn.
Oh, yay! I’ve been searching for someone else who appreciates this name! I’m a huge fan of [name]Rafe[/name] - and wildly applaud anyone who uses it! It has that old-school handsome, distinguished, charming, yet kind of quirky feel to it. I definitely think that it can stand on its own!
I pronounce [name]Rafe[/name] like Rayf - however I am concerned that because it is not a common name in [name]America[/name], that people might try to pronouce it Raf-ee (as a previous poster mentioned). I’m not sure which would be more common?
I fell in love with this name after following a basketball player through college/NBA - however he spelled his name Raef (Raef LaFrentz -sounded and looked exotic to me, but the guy was from Iowa). I suppose spelling it Raef is one way to ensure the pronunciation of Rayf. That being said, I prefer to spell things “correctly” so if I were to have the opportunity, I’d probably go with the more traditional route of [name]Rafe[/name].
As far as the rape connotation goes, to me that is just silly. People can relate names to other people, experiences, other words, etc. But once you give that name to a person (a cute lil baby at that), all of that goes out the door.
For middle names, I’ve got [name]Rafe[/name] [name]Everett[/name] on my list as the leading contender. You have any middle names in mind?
I do like [name]Rafe[/name], and it doesn’t remind me of rape. For what it’s worth, though, I think my opinion is coming round to “spell it [name]Ralph[/name] and pronounce it [name]Rafe[/name].” [name]Rafe[/name] (according to what I understand) is not a short form of [name]Ralph[/name], it’s an alternative, and older, pronunciation. However, with that option you’re giving him a lifetime of explaining the spelling/pronunciation of his name. Best wishes!
If [name]Rafe[/name] sounds like waif then [name]Kate[/name] sounds like date, late, mate, rate, [name]Kim[/name] sounds like dim, sim, rim and [name]Dave[/name] sounds like wave, crave, save etc.
I know a little boy with that name but he spells it Raif. I never once heard rape. I always thought it was the sweetest name.
To me it is just a phonetic spelling of the British pronunciation of [name]Ralph[/name]. I like it.
Really? I’m British, and I say [name]Rafe[/name] and [name]Ralph[/name] differently. [name]Rafe[/name] is RAYF, and [name]Ralph[/name] is just [name]RALF[/name].
See I’ve loved it too, but everyone has been hating on it. I don’t know about that other meaning of “weak/limp” because I’ve always seen it as a variation of [name]Ralph[/name] ([name]Wolf[/name] Counselor). The other variation would be for [name]Rafe[/name] itself (only one reference to this though so I don’t know how valid) is that [name]Rafe[/name] is Irish for “a tough man”. My combo is [name]Rafe[/name] [name]Hollis[/name] if it helps.
In the UK [name]Ralph[/name] can be pronounced as “[name]Ralf[/name]” or “[name]Ray[/name]-ff”. I think the “[name]Ray[/name]-ff” pronunciation is a more old-fashioned pronunciation, and for some reason I’ve always thought of it (when pronounced this way) as a thespian’s name - not sure where that association originally came from. “[name]Ray[/name]-ff” is apparently the way that [name]Ralph[/name] Fiennes pronounces his name (I’ve always thought it was like “[name]Ralf[/name] Fines”).