Rakim
An Arabic name meaning "generous" or "sublime".
Name Census estimates that about 1,282 living Americans carry the first name Rakim. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rakim today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rakim births was 1992 (94 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rakim. 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
1.3K
~ 1 in 267,359 Americans
Peak year
1992
94 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,656
Tracked since 1981
Popularity
Rakim: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rakim from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 563 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rakim 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 Rakim during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rakims live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. New York, North Carolina, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Rakim, while Massachusetts, Michigan, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 28 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rakim
The name Rakim is of Arabic origin and is derived from the word "raqim," which means "writer" or "engraver." It is believed to have originated in the Middle East region during the early days of Islam.
The earliest known reference to the name Rakim can be found in ancient Arabic texts, where it was used to describe scribes and calligraphers who were skilled in the art of writing and engraving. As Islam spread across the Middle East and North Africa, the name gained popularity among Muslims and became associated with scholarly pursuits and the preservation of knowledge.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Rakim was an 8th-century Arab poet and scholar known as Rakim al-Jayhani. He was renowned for his contributions to the field of Arabic literature and his mastery of the Arabic language.
Another notable figure bearing the name Rakim was a 10th-century Persian mathematician and astronomer named Rakim al-Bukhari. He made significant advancements in the field of mathematics and is credited with developing new methods for solving complex equations.
In the 13th century, there was a prominent Islamic scholar and jurist named Rakim al-Din al-Nawawi. He was widely respected for his expertise in Islamic law and his commentaries on the hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad).
During the Ottoman Empire, a famous Turkish calligrapher named Rakim Efendi lived in the 16th century. He was renowned for his exceptional calligraphic skills and his contributions to the art of Islamic calligraphy.
In more recent history, Rakim Mayers, better known as Rakim or Ra, is an American rapper and record producer who rose to fame in the late 1980s. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled lyricists in hip-hop history and is often referred to as the "God MC."
People
Rakim + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rakim 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
Rakim: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rakim?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,282 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rakim 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 267,359 US residents.
Is Rakim a common name?
We classify Rakim as "Rare". It ranks above 91.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,308 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rakim most popular?
The single biggest year for Rakim was 1992, when 94 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rakim is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rakim a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rakim 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.
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.