Rahim
Merciful and compassionate one derived from Arabic.
Name Census estimates that about 1,786 living Americans carry the first name Rahim. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rahim today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rahim births was 2018 (50 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rahim. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Rahim with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.8K
~ 1 in 191,912 Americans
Peak year
2018
50 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,979
Tracked since 1967
Census
Rahim in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,475 people with the first name Rahim, which placed it at #6,480 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#6,480
National first-name rank
People counted
2.5K
2,475 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
37.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rahim
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rahim is Asian/Pacific Islander at 37.8%. The next largest groups are Black (33.6%) and White (17.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Rahim described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Rahim at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander37.8% · 935
- Black or African American33.6% · 832
- White17.4% · 430
- Two or more races7.7% · 190
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Popularity
Rahim: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rahim from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 370 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Rahim remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rahim 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 Rahim during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rahims live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. New York, New Jersey, California recorded the most babies named Rahim, while Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 48 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rahim
The name Rahim originated from the Arabic language and has its roots traced back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic word "rahm," which means "mercy" or "compassion." The name is often associated with the attributes of kindness, gentleness, and benevolence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rahim can be found in Islamic religious texts, where it is mentioned as one of the attributes of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate. In the Quran, the phrase "Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim" (The Most Merciful, The Most Compassionate) appears frequently, emphasizing the importance of these qualities in Islamic teachings.
Throughout history, the name Rahim has been borne by several notable figures. One of the earliest known personalities with this name was Rahim Khan, a powerful military commander who served under the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the 16th century. He played a crucial role in the conquest of Gujarat and the establishment of Mughal rule in the region.
Another prominent figure was Rahim Bakhsh Sani, a renowned Sufi saint and poet who lived in the 17th century. He was a prominent figure in the Chishti order of Sufism and is revered for his contributions to Persian and Punjabi literature. His poetic works, particularly his collection of poems called "Nadir Nama," are widely celebrated.
In the 18th century, Rahim Khan Khatak was a prominent Pashtun chieftain and military leader who played a significant role in the resistance against the Durrani Empire in present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. His bravery and leadership skills earned him a reputation as a formidable warrior.
Moving to the 20th century, Rahim Burhanuddin was an influential Indonesian religious leader and scholar. He was the chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council and played a pivotal role in shaping Islamic thought and practices in the country. His efforts in promoting moderation and tolerance within the Muslim community were widely recognized.
Another notable figure with the name Rahim was Rahim Dil, a renowned Afghan poet and writer of the 20th century. He was known for his eloquent poetry, which often reflected the struggles and aspirations of the Afghan people. His works have had a profound impact on Afghan literature and culture.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have borne the name Rahim throughout history, each leaving a lasting legacy in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human civilization.
People
Rahim + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rahim as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Rahim: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rahim?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,786 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rahim 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 191,912 US residents.
Is Rahim a common name?
We classify Rahim as "Rare". It ranks above 93.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,839 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rahim most popular?
The single biggest year for Rahim was 2018, when 50 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rahim is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Rahim in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,475 people with the name Rahim, or 0.82 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,480 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Rahim in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Rahim?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rahim leans strongly male. 2,450 people counted with this name were male (99.0%), compared with 25 female bearers (1.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Rahim?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rahim is Asian/Pacific Islander at 37.8%. The next largest groups are Black (33.6%) and White (17.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Rahim most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Rahim in the 2020 Census, accounting for 37.8% (935 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Rahim in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rahim a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rahim 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 Rahim still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rahim 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 Rahim 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.
How many people are called Rahim?
You can see how many Americans are named Rahim on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.