Given name & surname
Rahim
“a compassionate man”
Rahim is used as a given name and a surname. One Arabic interpretation is “a compassionate man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Arabic interpretation is “a compassionate man.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Arabic.
How it developed
From Arabic رَحِيم (“kind, compassionate”); its root is Arabic ر ح م.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1967. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Rahim through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,905
- 1,905 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 66 babies
- 2025
- 66
- #2,178 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +16%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 66 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,178 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 15.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, New York and Texas shared the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (9 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,475 as a first name in 2020; 3,213 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Rahim’s family of names
Rahim has a related form in Raheem. Rahim has a related form in Raheim. Rahim has a related form in Rahiem.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Rahim
- Rahim RedcarFrench singer and songwriterborn 1988
- Aga Khan V50th Imam of the Nizari Isma'ili community (born 1971)
- Rakhim Chakhkievboxerborn 1983
- Rahim Ademiarmy generalborn 1954
- Rahim AlhassaneNigerien footballerborn 2002
- Rahim HameedIraqi footballerborn 1963
- Rahim ZaferTurkish association football player (born 1971)
- Rahim Aliabadiwrestlerborn 1943
- Rahim Moeini KermanshahiIranian poet,historian (1922-2015)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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