Cairo
Cairo was the 341st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 965 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 306th with 1,101 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 601 places. More babies were named Cairo in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Kairo) Origin not documented
- Rank in 2025
- #341 boys, up 7 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 965boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20221,101 babies
- Total since 1880
- 9,999babies recorded
What does the name Cairo mean?
Cairo is a spelling of Kairo, pronounced the same way, so it shares Kairo's meaning and origin.
Kairo is a modern boy's name with no entry in Wiktionary as a given name. It is spelled like the German and Scandinavian form of Cairo, the Egyptian capital, whose Arabic name al-Qahira means 'the victorious', as Wiktionary notes in its entry for the Arabic name. Some families may also choose it for its sound, close to Kai and other names starting Ka-. We found no documented source tying the given name to one origin.
How sure is this? Not documented. Probably inspired by the city name Cairo, but undocumented as a given name.
Related names: Cairo, Kai, Kyro.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Cairo', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Kairo', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'القاهرة', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Cairo popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 584 since 1994, 35 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #341 | 965 |
| 2020 | #348 | 918 |
| 2010 | #2,640 | 46 |
| 2000 | #3,315 | 25 |
| 1990 | #6,494 | 7 |
| 1980 | #6,379 | 5 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Cairo, counting every spelling?
Cairo is a spelling of Kairo, a name family that ranked #148 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #341 for Cairo on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,581 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kairo | 1,577 | #226 | 7,282 |
| Cairo | 965 | #341 | 5,045 |
| Kairoh | 33 | #3,476 | 43 |
| Kayro | 6 | #11,356 | 34 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Cairo?
965 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Cairo (0.27 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Cairo born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 9 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Cairo.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Cairo?
About 9,300 people born in the US named Cairo are alive today, with a median age of 5; half are between 3 and 8. That makes Cairo a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Cairo by state
How common Cairo was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (5.2×), Maryland (2.5×), Georgia (2.4×), Delaware (2.4×), Nevada (2.3×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Arkansas, Oregon, Nebraska.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Cairo: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Cairo, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Cairo
How popular is the name Cairo?
Cairo was the 341st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 965 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 306th with 1,101 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 601 places. More babies were named Cairo in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Cairo a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Cairo in the US.
Where is Cairo most popular?
In 2021–2025, Cairo was most common in District of Columbia (3.05 per 1,000 boys), followed by Maryland and Georgia.