Rehman
A South Asian Muslim surname from the Arabic name Raḥmān, meaning “merciful” or “compassionate.”
The #9,784 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 93,248 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Rehman is a surname form of the Arabic personal name Raḥmān (often written Rahman), one of the divine names in Islam meaning “the Merciful” or “the Compassionate.” In South Asian usage it commonly developed from a Muslim given name or honorific name element, later passing into hereditary surname use. The spelling Rehman reflects regional pronunciation and transliteration practices rather than a different root.
History
The name is widely found among Muslim communities of South Asia, especially in areas influenced by Urdu and Persian writing traditions. As with many South Asian surnames, it may function as a family name, a patronymic-style identifier, or a fixed surname adopted from an ancestor’s personal name. In diaspora communities it is often retained in the spelling Rehman, though Rahman is also very common.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The root r-ḥ-m in Arabic is strongly associated with mercy and compassion, which is why related names are so common in Muslim naming traditions.