Rakeem
Masculine
Rakeem stands close to Rahim, an Arabic word for mercy that is one of the two divine names invoked at the opening of almost every chapter of the Qur'an.
How old is the name Rakeem?
Rakeem first appears in US birth records in 1975 — 50 years ago. The typical Rakeem alive today was born around 1995, making them about 30 years old. About 2,100 people named Rakeem are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Rakeem most popular?
Rakeem peaked in 1992, reaching #770 nationally. Today it ranks #3658, 2,888 places below that high. See the whole 1992 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Rakeem
Ours, offered as ours. Ar-Rahman ar-Rahim — the Compassionate, the Merciful — opens almost every chapter of the Qur'an and is among the most-said phrases in any language. Rahim as a personal name comes from it. Rakeem echoes the sound with a k where the Arabic has a throat consonant English lacks, which is what happens when a name crosses into a language without the sounds for it. Whether the connection was intended is not recorded, and the phrase behind it is worth knowing.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No source is established for this spelling. Arabic Rahim, the Merciful, is a genuine neighbor and one of the most-recited divine names. Separately the name may be built from the Ra- and -keem pieces of American naming, which produced Rasheem and Hakeem in the same decades.
Pronouncing Rakeem
rah-KEEM
Two syllables with the stress on the second. There is little variation.
Nicknames for Rakeem
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1975
- Most boys named
- 1992183 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #770reached in 1992
- Change vs 2024
- +42.9%30 in 2025, from 21
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Rakeem in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Rahim in Arabic — related form
- Hakeem in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina.
Rakeems among us
people named Rakeem are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 56,936 born in 2025 was named Rakeem
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Judy test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Rakeem's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Judy climbed just as high around 1941, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Judy's path sketches the road Rakeem is walking now.
Rakeem sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Rakeem is headed
Rakeem is easing off slowly — about 23% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Rakeem beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Rakeem in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Read correctly on sight by every English speaker.
- Keem is a usable short form with its own life.
- A genuinely significant Arabic name stands nearby.
- Rakeem, Raheem and Rahim are all in use and mean different things.
- The Arabic consonant the k replaces is a real sound that English does not have.
- There is no documented meaning for this spelling.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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Rakeem
Masculine · #3658 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Rakeems are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,100 people named Rakeem are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Rakeem in 2025?
- Rakeem ranks #3658 among US boy names in 2025, with 30 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Rakeem?
- About 1 in every 56,936 US boys born in 2025 was named Rakeem — 30 in all.
- Will my child share the name Rakeem with classmates?
- Rakeem will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Rakeem
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Jimmie#3658 · Mckinley#3658 · Menno#3658 · Claudio#3658 · Ezekial#3658 · Brandt#3658 · Benuel#3658 · Gustav#3658
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Rakeem? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Rakeem and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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