Rahshan
Of Arabic origin, meaning "noble", "excelling", or "superior".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Rahshan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rahshan today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rahshan births was 1975 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rahshan. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rahshan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1975
6 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1977 SSA rank
#6,616
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Rahshan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Rahshan 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 Rahshan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Rahshan
The given name Rahshan has its roots in the Arabic language and culture. It is believed to have originated during the medieval period, around the 7th to 10th centuries AD, when the Arabic language and Islamic civilization were flourishing across the Middle East and parts of North Africa.
Rahshan is derived from the Arabic word "rahsha," which means "a gentle breeze" or "a soft wind." The name carries a connotation of gentleness, calmness, and serenity. In the Arab world, names often reflect desirable qualities or natural elements, and Rahshan fits into this tradition.
While there are no definitive records of the name appearing in ancient texts or religious scriptures, some historians suggest that it may have been used as an epithet or descriptive title for individuals known for their calm and composed demeanor.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Rahshan can be traced back to the 12th century, when it was documented in various Arabic genealogical records and chronicles. One notable bearer of the name was Rahshan al-Andalusi, a renowned Arabic poet and calligrapher who lived in the city of Cordoba, Spain, during the 12th century.
Another historical figure with the name Rahshan was Rahshan al-Dimashqi, a 14th-century Arab mathematician and astronomer from Damascus, Syria. He made significant contributions to the field of trigonometry and authored several influential works on mathematics and astronomy.
In the 16th century, Rahshan al-Baghdadi was a prominent Arab scholar and translator who played a crucial role in the transmission of ancient Greek knowledge to the Arab world. He translated several works by Greek philosophers, including Aristotle and Plato, into Arabic.
During the 18th century, Rahshan al-Misri was a respected Egyptian scholar and jurist who wrote extensively on Islamic jurisprudence and legal theory. His works were widely studied and referenced in the field of Islamic law.
In the 19th century, Rahshan al-Kabir was a renowned poet and literary figure from Aleppo, Syria. His poetry, which often celebrated the beauty of nature and human emotion, was highly regarded and widely circulated in the Arab world during his lifetime.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Rahshan, reflecting its enduring presence and significance within the Arabic cultural and linguistic tradition.
People
Rahshan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rahshan 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
Rahshan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rahshan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rahshan 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Rahshan a common name?
We classify Rahshan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rahshan most popular?
The single biggest year for Rahshan was 1975, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rahshan is about 51 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 Rahshan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rahshan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rahshan 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 Rahshan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rahshan 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 Rahshan 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 called Rahshan?
Find out how many people share the name Rahshan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.