Rahman
A Muslim surname and given-name element meaning “the Most Merciful,” ultimately from Arabic.
The #1,994 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 17,061 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Rahman comes from Arabic al-Raḥmān, a divine name meaning “the Most Merciful” or “the Compassionate.” It is built from the Arabic root related to mercy and compassion, and it is widely used across Muslim naming traditions as both a personal name element and a surname. In South Asia and elsewhere, it often appears in forms influenced by Persian, Urdu, Bengali, and other local naming practices.
History
As a surname, Rahman became common among Muslim families across the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, often as part of a broader religious naming tradition rather than from a hereditary family name in the older European sense. In many places it may also reflect an ancestral given name such as Abd al-Rahman, later shortened or adapted in family use. The spelling varies by language and transliteration system, especially between Rahman, Rehman, and Rahmon.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Rahman is one of the 99 names of God in Islamic tradition, which is why it is so widely used in personal names.
Notable people named Rahman
- A. R. Rahman (b. 1966)
- Zillur Rahman (1929–2013)
- Ziaur Rahman (1936–1981)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.