2000
#13,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,985
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Rehman
A surname of Islamic origin meaning "merciful," referring to one of the attributes of Allah.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,415 Americans carry the last name Rehman. That puts it at #6,857 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,297 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rehman surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rehman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,297
Census rank
#6,857
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,722 bearers of the surname Rehman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6857th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rehman, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.1%. The next largest groups are White (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rehman
The surname REHMAN is of Arabic origin and is believed to have originated in the Middle East region during the 7th century AD. It is derived from the Arabic word "Rahman," which means "merciful" or "compassionate," and is one of the names of God in Islam.
The earliest recorded instances of the REHMAN surname can be found in various historical records and manuscripts from the Islamic world, including the Quran and Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad). The name was likely adopted by individuals or families who were known for their piety, kindness, or charitable deeds.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname REHMAN was Abd al-Rahman I, who was an Umayyad prince and the first Muslim ruler of Spain. He established the Umayyad dynasty in the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th century AD and is considered a significant figure in the history of Islamic Spain.
Another notable individual with the REHMAN surname was Shah Abdul Rehman, a 17th-century Sufi saint and spiritual leader from India. He was known for his devotion to God and his teachings on love, compassion, and unity among people.
In the 19th century, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, an Islamic philosopher and educationist from India, was also known by the surname REHMAN. He played a pivotal role in promoting modern education and social reform among Muslims in the region.
During the 20th century, Zia Ul Rehman was a prominent Pakistani politician and diplomat who served as the country's Foreign Minister in the 1970s. He was instrumental in shaping Pakistan's foreign policy and strengthening its relations with other nations.
The REHMAN surname can also be found in various place names and older spellings of place names, particularly in regions with significant Muslim populations. For example, Rahman Khera is a village in Pakistan's Punjab province, and Rehmanabad is a town in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
While the REHMAN surname originated in the Middle East and has a strong presence in Muslim communities, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. Today, individuals with the REHMAN surname can be found in various countries across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rehman
Among Census respondents with the surname Rehman, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.1%. The next largest groups are White (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rehman bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Rehman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander84.1% · 3,971
- White10.0% · 474
- Two or more races3.8% · 181
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 55
- Black or African American0.8% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rehman
Rehman appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,784
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,311
+1,326 bearers (+66.8%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Up 4,159 places
2020
#6,857
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,722
+1,411 bearers (+42.6%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 2,927 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,943 | 1,985 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,784 | 3,311 | 1.12 | +1,326 bearers (+66.8%) | Up 4,159 places |
| 2020 | #6,857 | 4,722 | 1.58 | +1,411 bearers (+42.6%) | Up 2,927 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Rehman surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,784 | #6,857 | 29.9% |
| Count | 3,311 | 4,722 | 42.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 1.58 | 41.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rehman bearers went from 3,311 to 4,722 (+42.6% change). The surname moved up 2,927 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,784 to #6,857.
FAQ
Rehman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rehman?
Name Census estimates that about 5,415 living Americans carry the surname Rehman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,297 residents.
How common is Rehman?
Rehman ranks #6,857 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,722 people with the surname Rehman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,415), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Rehman.
Has Rehman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rehman went from 3,311 recorded bearers to 4,722. That is an increase of 1,411 (+42.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,784 to #6,857.
What does the Census say about the background of Rehman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rehman, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.1%. The next largest groups are White (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rehman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.1% (3,971 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rehman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (84.1%), White (10.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Rehman (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Rehman mean?
A surname of Islamic origin meaning "merciful," referring to one of the attributes of Allah. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Rehman (1.58 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Rehman?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Rehman, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.