Rakim
Masculine · “the inscription”
Rakim entered American naming through one rapper, and that rapper took it from a religious movement. The name is Arabic in origin, and it reached the United States by a route that runs through the Nation of Gods and Earths rather than through migration.
How old is the name Rakim?
Rakim first appears in US birth records in 1981 — 44 years ago. The typical Rakim alive today was born around 1998, making them about 27 years old. About 1,300 people named Rakim are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Rakim most popular?
Rakim peaked in 1992, reaching #1135 nationally. Today it ranks #6446, 5,311 places below that high. See the whole 1992 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From ar-raqim to Rakim
The story of Rakim
The Nation of Gods and Earths, founded in New York in 1964, encouraged members to take names drawn from Arabic and from its own teachings, and its influence on New York hip-hop in the 1980s was direct and large. William Griffin Jr. took the name Rakim, recorded four albums with Eric B. between 1987 and 1992, and is routinely described as one of the most influential rappers of the period. The given name follows him precisely: it is essentially absent from American records before 1987 and peaks in 1992, the year of the duo's final album together, which is as clean a single-source curve as this collection contains.
Meaningscholars disagree
the inscription, the tablet
Arabic ar-raqim appears in the Quran in the account of the Companions of the Cave, and is usually read as an inscription, a tablet or the name of a place, with commentators disagreeing. It is frequently confused with rahim, merciful, which is a different root entirely and one of the names of God. The two are distinct words and only the second has a settled sense.
How the name formed
- ar-raqim
- Rakim
Related forms: Raqim · Rahim
Pronouncing Rakim
rah-KEEM
Two syllables with the stress at the end. The Arabic initial in raqim is a q made at the back of the throat, which this spelling replaces with a plain k.
Nicknames for Rakim
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
- 1981
- Most boys named
- 199294 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1135reached in 1992
- Change vs 2024
- −43.5%13 in 2025, from 23
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.
Rakim in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Raqim in Arabic — transliteration
- Rahim in Arabic — related form
Rakims among us
people named Rakim are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 131,390 born in 2025 was named Rakim
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 Pietro test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Rakim's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Pietro climbed just as high around 1974, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Pietro's path sketches the road Rakim is walking now.
Rakim 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
Rakim beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Rakim in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented Quranic word behind it, and a single very well known bearer.
- Five letters, two syllables, and no spelling difficulty in English.
- End-stressed, which gives it a rhythm English names rarely have.
- It is constantly confused with Rahim, which is a different word and a divine name.
- The association with one artist is extremely strong for anyone who follows the music.
- The Quranic word's own sense is debated by commentators.
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What they receive
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Rakim
Masculine · #6446 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Rakims are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,300 people named Rakim are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Rakim in 2025?
- Rakim ranks #6446 among US boy names in 2025, with 13 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Rakim?
- About 1 in every 131,390 US boys born in 2025 was named Rakim — 13 in all.
- Will my child share the name Rakim with classmates?
- Rakim will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Rakim
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Rollie#6446 · Billie#6446 · Worth#6446 · Blas#6446 · Starling#6446 · Alvis#6446 · Elwyn#6446 · Rollin#6446
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Rakim? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Rakim and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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