Naftula
A Yiddish name derived from Raphael, from Hebrew meaning "God heals".
Name Census estimates that about 171 living Americans carry the first name Naftula. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Naftula today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Naftula births was 2023 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Naftula. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
171
~ 1 in 2,004,411 Americans
Peak year
2023
15 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,549
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Naftula: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Naftula from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 82 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Naftula remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Naftula by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Naftula during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Naftulas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Naftula
Naftula is a Hebrew given name with roots in the ancient Jewish culture and tradition. The name is derived from the Hebrew word "naftal," which means "to twist" or "to wrestle," likely referring to the biblical figure Jacob's wrestling with an angel.
The earliest recorded use of the name Naftula can be traced back to the Middle Ages, particularly in Eastern European Jewish communities. It was commonly used as a diminutive form of the Hebrew name Naphtali, which was one of the twelve tribes of ancient Israel.
In the Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism, there are references to individuals bearing the name Naftula, indicating its use among Jewish scholars and rabbis during the early centuries of the common era.
One of the earliest prominent figures to bear the name Naftula was Rabbi Naftula ben Yitzhak Elhanan (1645-1719), a renowned Talmudic scholar and author from Lithuania. His writings, particularly his commentary on the Talmud, were highly influential in Jewish religious circles.
Another notable Naftula was Naftula Hertz Margoles (1820-1892), a Lithuanian-born Hebrew writer and educator who played a significant role in the revival of the Hebrew language and the development of modern Hebrew literature.
In the 19th century, Naftula Zvi Judah Berlin (1817-1893), also known as the Netziv, was a prominent Russian rabbi and Torah scholar who served as the head of the renowned Volozhin Yeshiva.
During the early 20th century, Naftula Buxband (1884-1979), a Polish-born Yiddish writer and poet, made significant contributions to Yiddish literature, particularly in his depictions of Jewish life in Eastern Europe.
Naftula Frankel (1901-1966), a Russian-born Israeli author and journalist, was another notable figure who bore the name. He authored several books documenting the experiences of Jewish communities in Eastern Europe during the Holocaust.
While the name Naftula has its roots in the Jewish tradition, it has also been adopted by individuals of various backgrounds, particularly in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, reflecting the cultural exchange and influences in these regions.
People
Naftula + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Naftula as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Naftula: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Naftula?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 171 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Naftula going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,004,411 US residents.
Is Naftula a common name?
We classify Naftula as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 172 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Naftula most popular?
The single biggest year for Naftula was 2023, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Naftula is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Naftula in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Naftula a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Naftula in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Naftula still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Naftula in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Naftula can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Naftula?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Naftula at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.