Fun Facts About the Name Kairo
- More than 11 thousand babies named Kairo: U.S. records list 11,509 babies given the name Kairo from 1880 through 2025. Even 295 girls received the name Kairo - about 1 girl for every 38 boys.
What Does the Name Kairo Mean?
Kairo is generally treated as a variant spelling of Cairo, the English name of Egypt's capital. That name comes from Arabic al-Qāhirah (القاهرة), "the victorious" or "the vanquisher." The word is a feminine adjective built on the root q-h-r, meaning "to overcome, to subdue." In origin it was a byname of the planet Mars, al-Najm al-Qāhir, "the conquering star," and it is this sense of victory that the name carries when it is used for a person.
The K spelling matches the form used for the city in German (Kairo), in the Scandinavian languages, and in Finnish and Estonian, while English writes the city with a C. The resemblance to the older name Kai is only a resemblance; the two are not known to share a derivation.
Kairo Name History & Origins
The word behind the name belongs to the founding of a city. In 969, the Fatimid general Jawhar al-Siqilli began building a new capital in Egypt for the caliph al-Mu'izz, and it was called al-Qāhirah al-Muʿizziyya, roughly "the victorious [city] of al-Mu'izz." A traditional account says the name was chosen because Mars, al-Qāhir, was rising when the foundations were laid. Medieval European languages adopted the name from Arabic: Italian and Latin texts wrote Cairo (Italian also Il Cairo), German and the Scandinavian languages use Kairo, and English settled on Cairo.
As a personal name, Kairo is a modern use rather than an inherited medieval one. It follows the broad pattern of place names being adopted as given names, and in German-, Scandinavian-, Finnish-, and Estonian-speaking areas the spelling needs no adjustment, because the city is already written Kairo there. Its history as a personal name is therefore short, and unlike older European names it has no long chain of documented forms in baptismal or genealogical records. The city name, by contrast, is documented from the tenth century onward.
How Popular is the Name Kairo?
Kairo recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2025. Its best rank was #226 in 2025.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,220 | 34 | 0.0021% |
| 2024 | #3,991 | 37 | 0.0023% |
| 2023 | #3,450 | 46 | 0.0029% |
| 2022 | #3,673 | 42 | 0.0026% |
| 2021 | #4,199 | 34 | 0.0021% |
| 2020 | #5,234 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 2019 | #3,301 | 48 | 0.0029% |
| 2018 | #8,882 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2017 | #13,357 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #15,222 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #17,745 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #226 | 1,577 | 0.0923% |
| 2024 | #238 | 1,478 | 0.0862% |
| 2023 | #234 | 1,488 | 0.0871% |
| 2022 | #250 | 1,414 | 0.0811% |
| 2021 | #263 | 1,316 | 0.0753% |
| 2020 | #280 | 1,194 | 0.0692% |
| 2019 | #307 | 1,109 | 0.0618% |
| 2018 | #483 | 608 | 0.0335% |
| 2017 | #802 | 285 | 0.0154% |
| 2016 | #1,226 | 153 | 0.0081% |
| 2015 | #1,819 | 82 | 0.0043% |
| 2014 | #1,988 | 72 | 0.0037% |
| 2013 | #1,952 | 71 | 0.0038% |
| 2012 | #2,738 | 44 | 0.0023% |
| 2011 | #2,773 | 43 | 0.0023% |
| 2010 | #4,173 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2009 | #2,926 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 2008 | #5,363 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 2007 | #4,186 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 2006 | #3,419 | 31 | 0.0015% |
| 2005 | #3,992 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2004 | #6,334 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #4,712 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2002 | #5,023 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2001 | #7,210 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2000 | #4,138 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1999 | #6,813 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #6,069 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #5,868 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #4,749 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #8,327 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Kairo Shapes Your Personality and Life?
EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Kairo's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kairo's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.