Holding steady, #3,658 for boys today.
Popularity of Rakeem since 1975
Babies named Rakeem per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 28 |
| 1980s | 275 |
| 1990s | 1,094 |
| 2000s | 266 |
| 2010s | 319 |
| 2020s | 200 |
Meaning & origin
Rakeem entered U.S. naming records in 1975 and saw its highest usage in 1992, when it ranked much higher than its current position of 3,658. In 2025, approximately 1 in 56,936 boys received the name, reflecting a stable but modest presence. The name is thought to be a phonetic variant of the Arabic Rahim, tying it to Islamic tradition, though it has been adopted broadly. Its trajectory shows a steady but low frequency, with no dominant state association, suggesting a name used sparingly but consistently across diverse communities.
Rakeem appears to be a variant of the Arabic name Rahim (رَحِيم), which means 'merciful' and is one of the 99 names of Allah in Islam. The spelling with 'k' and 'ee' likely arose through phonetic English renderings. The name gained some usage in the United States beginning in the 1970s, particularly among African American families, possibly influenced by the popularity of similar-sounding names like Rashid and Jamal.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Rake, Keem
Sibling names for Rakeem
Names that share Rakeem's style, for a brother or sister.
