Rehman
A masculine Arabic given name meaning "The Most Merciful or The Most Beneficent".
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the first name Rehman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rehman today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rehman births was 2003 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rehman. 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 Rehman with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
139
~ 1 in 2,465,859 Americans
Peak year
2003
15 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2016 SSA rank
#11,827
Tracked since 1985
Census
Rehman in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 310 people with the first name Rehman, which placed it at #28,807 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
#28,807
National first-name rank
People counted
310
310 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
87.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rehman
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rehman is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Rehman 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 Rehman at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander87.4% · 271
- White4.8% · 15
- Two or more races3.5% · 11
- Black or African American1.9% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Rehman: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rehman from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 71 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rehman 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 Rehman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rehmans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Rehman
The name Rehman finds its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "Rahman," which means "The Most Merciful" or "The Most Beneficent." This name is one of the attributes of Allah, the one God in Islam, as mentioned in the Quran and Islamic teachings.
The name Rehman holds significant religious and cultural significance in the Muslim world. It is a popular name among Muslims, particularly in South Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and the early spread of Islam.
In Islamic history, the name Rehman has been associated with notable figures and scholars. One of the most prominent individuals with this name was Rehman al-Razi, a renowned Persian polymath, philosopher, and physician who lived from 854 to 925 CE. He made significant contributions to various fields, including medicine, chemistry, and philosophy.
Another historical figure bearing the name Rehman was Rehman Baba, a famous Sufi poet and mystic from the 17th century. He was born in Peshawar, present-day Pakistan, and his poetry and teachings had a profound impact on the Pashtun culture and the spread of Sufism in the region.
In the 19th century, Rehman Khan was a prominent figure in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company. He was a leader of the rebel forces in the Awadh region and played a crucial role in the uprising.
During the 20th century, Rehman Bashir was a renowned Pakistani painter and artist who lived from 1929 to 1995. He was a pioneer of modern art in Pakistan and his works reflected the rich cultural heritage and traditions of the region.
Another notable figure with the name Rehman was Rehman Malik, a Pakistani politician and former Interior Minister, who served in various government positions from the late 20th century to the early 21st century.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who have borne the name Rehman. The name continues to be widely used across various cultures and regions, carrying with it the rich heritage and significance associated with its Arabic and Islamic roots.
People
Rehman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rehman 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
Rehman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rehman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 139 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rehman 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 2,465,859 US residents.
Is Rehman a common name?
We classify Rehman as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 141 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rehman most popular?
The single biggest year for Rehman was 2003, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rehman is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Rehman in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 310 people with the name Rehman, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #28,807 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 Rehman 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 Rehman?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Rehman leans strongly male. 307 people counted with this name were male (98.7%), compared with 4 female bearers (1.3%). 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 Rehman?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Rehman is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Rehman most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Rehman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (271 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 Rehman in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rehman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rehman 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 Rehman still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rehman 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 Rehman 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 have the name Rehman?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Rehman, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.