Rehman last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Rehman

A surname of Islamic origin meaning "merciful," referring to one of the attributes of Allah.

Rehman, 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 Rehman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rehman in America

Rehman is the 9784th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rehman surname appeared 3,311 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 Rehman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rehman 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 9784 13943 -35.06%
Count 3,311 1,985 50.08%
Proportion per 100k 1.12 0.74 40.86%

The history of the last name Rehman

The surname REHMAN is of Arabic origin and is believed to have originated in the Middle East region during the 7th century AD. It is derived from the Arabic word "Rahman," which means "merciful" or "compassionate," and is one of the names of God in Islam.

The earliest recorded instances of the REHMAN surname can be found in various historical records and manuscripts from the Islamic world, including the Quran and Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad). The name was likely adopted by individuals or families who were known for their piety, kindness, or charitable deeds.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname REHMAN was Abd al-Rahman I, who was an Umayyad prince and the first Muslim ruler of Spain. He established the Umayyad dynasty in the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th century AD and is considered a significant figure in the history of Islamic Spain.

Another notable individual with the REHMAN surname was Shah Abdul Rehman, a 17th-century Sufi saint and spiritual leader from India. He was known for his devotion to God and his teachings on love, compassion, and unity among people.

In the 19th century, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, an Islamic philosopher and educationist from India, was also known by the surname REHMAN. He played a pivotal role in promoting modern education and social reform among Muslims in the region.

During the 20th century, Zia Ul Rehman was a prominent Pakistani politician and diplomat who served as the country's Foreign Minister in the 1970s. He was instrumental in shaping Pakistan's foreign policy and strengthening its relations with other nations.

The REHMAN surname can also be found in various place names and older spellings of place names, particularly in regions with significant Muslim populations. For example, Rahman Khera is a village in Pakistan's Punjab province, and Rehmanabad is a town in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

While the REHMAN surname originated in the Middle East and has a strong presence in Muslim communities, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. Today, individuals with the REHMAN surname can be found in various countries across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rehman

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

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 Rehman was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 12.81% 424
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.51% 17
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 81.24% 2,690
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.24% 8
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 3.71% 123
Hispanic Origin 1.48% 49

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 Rehman has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 12.81% 19.60% -41.90%
Black 0.51% 1.31% -87.91%
Asian and Pacific Islander 81.24% 67.25% 18.84%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.24% 0.25% -4.08%
Two or More Races 3.71% 10.48% -95.42%
Hispanic 1.48% 1.11% 28.57%

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 Rehman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Rehman last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 2, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/rehman-surname-popularity/.

"Rehman last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/rehman-surname-popularity/. Accessed 2 December, 2024

Rehman last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/rehman-surname-popularity/.

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