2000
#3,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,719
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.97
Uncommon Last name
Rahman
A surname of Islamic origin meaning "merciful," an attribute of Allah.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,254 Americans carry the last name Rahman. That puts it at #1,308 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,329 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rahman surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rahman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,329
Census rank
#1,308
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
26K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,383 bearers of the surname Rahman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1308th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rahman, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.4%) and Black (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rahman
The surname Rahman is of Arabic origin, deriving from the Arabic word "Rahman" meaning "the most merciful" or "the beneficent". It is considered a descriptive name referring to the attribute of mercy and compassion.
The name has its roots in the Islamic faith and is often found among Muslim communities throughout the world. Its earliest recorded usage can be traced back to the 7th century, during the time of the Islamic expansion across the Middle East and North Africa.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rahman can be found in the "Kitab al-Aghani" (The Book of Songs), a renowned anthology of Arabic poetry compiled in the 9th century by Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani. The book mentions several poets and scholars bearing the name Rahman.
In the 11th century, the name appears in the writings of the famous Persian scholar and poet, Ferdowsi, who is known for his epic work, the Shahnameh (The Book of Kings). He mentions a character named Rahman in one of his stories.
During the Mughal period in India (16th-19th centuries), the name Rahman was prevalent among Muslim populations in the region. One notable figure was Abdul Rahman Khan, a military commander who served under the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in the late 17th century.
Another prominent figure with the surname Rahman was Sir Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938), a renowned philosopher, poet, and politician from British India, who is widely regarded as the spiritual father of Pakistan.
In more recent history, Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou (1930-1989) was a prominent Kurdish politician and leader of the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran, who was assassinated in Vienna in 1989.
Other notable individuals with the surname Rahman include:
1. Mujibur Rahman (1920-1975), the founding President of Bangladesh.
2. Atiqur Rahman (born 1934), a Bangladeshi writer and academic.
3. Badruzzaman Rahman (born 1937), a Bangladeshi writer and journalist.
4. Anisur Rahman (born 1942), a Bangladeshi poet and academic.
5. Mokhlesur Rahman (born 1959), a Bangladeshi poet and writer.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rahman
Among Census respondents with the surname Rahman, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.4%) and Black (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rahman bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Rahman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander84.5% · 22,300
- White6.4% · 1,688
- Black or African American4.4% · 1,171
- Two or more races3.0% · 794
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 354
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 76
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rahman
Rahman appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,097
+7,378 bearers (+68.8%)
Per 100,000 6.14
Rank movement Up 1,108 places
2020
#1,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,383
+8,286 bearers (+45.8%)
Per 100,000 8.83
Rank movement Up 686 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,102 | 10,719 | 3.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,994 | 18,097 | 6.14 | +7,378 bearers (+68.8%) | Up 1,108 places |
| 2020 | #1,308 | 26,383 | 8.83 | +8,286 bearers (+45.8%) | Up 686 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Rahman surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,994 | #1,308 | 34.4% |
| Count | 18,097 | 26,383 | 45.8% |
| Per 100K | 6.14 | 8.83 | 43.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rahman bearers went from 18,097 to 26,383 (+45.8% change). The surname moved up 686 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,994 to #1,308.
FAQ
Rahman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rahman?
Name Census estimates that about 30,254 living Americans carry the surname Rahman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,329 residents.
How common is Rahman?
Rahman ranks #1,308 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,383 people with the surname Rahman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,254), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Rahman.
Has Rahman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rahman went from 18,097 recorded bearers to 26,383. That is an increase of 8,286 (+45.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,994 to #1,308.
What does the Census say about the background of Rahman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rahman, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 84.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.4%) and Black (4.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rahman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (22,300 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rahman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (84.5%), White (6.4%), Black (4.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Rahman (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Rahman mean?
A surname of Islamic origin meaning "merciful," an attribute of Allah. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Rahman (8.83 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Rahman?
Find out how common the surname Rahman is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.