Find out how popular the last name Rahim is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rahim.

Rahim, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rahim surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rahim in America

Rahim is the 12005th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rahim surname appeared 2,601 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rahim.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rahim to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rahim

The surname RAHIM originated in the Arabic-speaking regions of the Middle East. It is derived from the Arabic word "rahim," which means "merciful" or "compassionate." The name likely emerged during the early centuries of Islamic civilization, as Arabic names and surnames became widespread across the region.

One of the earliest references to the name RAHIM can be found in the writings of medieval Islamic scholars and historians. For instance, the 9th-century historian al-Tabari mentions individuals with the surname RAHIM in his chronicles of Islamic history.

The surname RAHIM has been particularly prevalent in regions such as modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, and parts of India and Pakistan, where Arabic linguistic and cultural influences have been strong. In these areas, the name has been associated with both religious and secular figures throughout history.

One notable individual who bore the surname RAHIM was the Persian poet and philosopher Jalaluddin Rumi (1207-1273), whose full name was Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi RAHIM. Rumi is widely regarded as one of the most influential poets in the Persian literary tradition and a major figure in Sufism.

Another prominent bearer of the RAHIM surname was the 16th-century Mughal emperor Akbar (1542-1605), whose full name was Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar RAHIM. Akbar was known for his religious tolerance and administrative reforms, and his reign is considered a golden age in Indian history.

In the 19th century, Mirza Asadullah Khan RAHIM (1835-1891) was a prominent Indian Muslim scholar and author who wrote extensively on Islamic theology and jurisprudence. His works had a significant impact on the intellectual discourse of the time.

The surname RAHIM has also been associated with various place names and geographic locations. For example, the town of Rahim Yar Khan in modern-day Pakistan is named after a local ruler who bore the surname RAHIM.

Throughout history, the RAHIM surname has been linked to individuals from diverse backgrounds, including religious scholars, poets, rulers, and intellectuals. While the name has its roots in the Arabic language, it has spread and taken on various cultural and regional variations across the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of the Indian subcontinent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rahim

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rahim.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rahim was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rahim has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rahim was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rahim, please contact us.

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