Rahimov

Rahimov is a surname of Turkic and Persian influence that is widely found in the regions of the former Soviet Union and Central Asia. It is derived from the given name Rahim, itself from the Arabic ar-Rahīm, meaning “the merciful” or “compassionate,” with the Slavic suffix -ov indicating a patronymic or belonging-to relation. In practice, Rahimov is a male surname, and its feminine form is Rahimova in languages that mark gender in surnames.

Geographic distribution and variants: The surname is common in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Russia, and among diaspora communities elsewhere. It appears in various ethnic and linguistic contexts within these regions, reflecting historical naming practices that combine local languages with Slavic-style surname endings. Spelling and transliteration can vary depending on the alphabet used; in Cyrillic, it is written as Рахимов, and in Latin-script contexts it is typically rendered as Rahimov. The feminine form is Rahimova.

Cultural and linguistic context: Rahimov is a patronymic surname rather than an indicator of occupation or a specific ethnicity. It exemplifies a common pattern in which Arabic-derived given names are integrated with regional surname suffixes to produce family names that are widely adopted across Turkic and Persian-influenced communities. The name is one of many Rahim-related surnames found in this cultural and linguistic sphere.