Rakwan
A masculine Arabic name meaning "pillar" or "column".
Name Census estimates that about 13 living Americans carry the first name Rakwan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rakwan today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rakwan births was 1998 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rakwan. 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 Rakwan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
13
~ 1 in 26,365,718 Americans
Peak year
1998
8 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
1998 SSA rank
#7,379
Tracked since 1996
Popularity
Rakwan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Rakwan 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 Rakwan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13 | 0 | 13 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Rakwan
The name Rakwan has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Arabic word "raqm," which means "number" or "numeral." This suggests that the name may have been associated with numeracy, mathematics, or astrology in its early usage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rakwan can be found in the writings of the renowned Arab philosopher and scientist, Al-Biruni, who lived from 973 to 1048 CE. In his work "The Book of Instruction in the Elements of the Art of Astrology," Al-Biruni mentions an individual named Rakwan ibn Salim, who was a respected astronomer and mathematician of his time.
During the Golden Age of Islamic civilization, which spanned from the 8th to the 13th centuries, the name Rakwan gained prominence among scholars and intellectuals. One notable figure bearing this name was Rakwan al-Hamdani, a 10th-century poet and writer from Hamdanid Aleppo, in present-day Syria. His poetry and prose works were highly regarded in literary circles of the time.
In the 12th century, Rakwan al-Mawsili, a prominent physician and medical writer, made significant contributions to the field of medicine. His treatises on various ailments and remedies were widely studied and referenced by physicians across the Islamic world.
Moving forward in time, the name Rakwan appeared in historical records from the Ottoman Empire. Rakwan Pasha, born in the late 16th century, was a high-ranking Ottoman official and military commander who served during the reign of Sultan Murad IV in the 17th century.
Another notable figure with the name Rakwan was Rakwan ibn Abdulaziz al-Andalusi, a 9th-century Arab mathematician and astronomer from the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal). He made significant contributions to the development of trigonometry and was renowned for his work on the calculation of solar and lunar eclipses.
While the name Rakwan may have originated in the Arab world, it has transcended cultural boundaries and has been adopted by various communities over the centuries. However, its rich historical roots and associations with scholarship, science, and intellectual pursuits remain an integral part of its legacy.
People
Rakwan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rakwan 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
Rakwan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rakwan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rakwan 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 26,365,718 US residents.
Is Rakwan a common name?
We classify Rakwan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 33.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rakwan most popular?
The single biggest year for Rakwan was 1998, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rakwan is about 28 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 Rakwan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rakwan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rakwan 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 Rakwan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rakwan 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 Rakwan 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 Rakwan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.