boy's name
Cairo
KY-roh
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 12,091
the United States
#341
2025 births
Cairo is a boy's name taken from the Egyptian capital, whose Arabic name al-Qahirah means "the vanquisher". The city was named for the planet Mars, which was rising when its foundations were laid, so the name points at a planet rather than a battle.
- Cairo is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in 2022, when 1,157 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,315 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1979.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Cairo over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1970s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 |
| 1980s | 18 |
| 1990s | 149 |
| 2000s | 392 |
| 2010s | 3,173 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,261 |
What Cairo means
Cairo means the vanquisher or the conqueror, from the Arabic al-Qahirah. The epithet belonged first to Mars — al-Qahir, the subduer — and the city took it from the planet.
Where Cairo comes from
Cairo anglicizes al-Qahirah, the victorious or the vanquisher, from the Arabic root q-h-r, to subdue. The Fatimid caliphs founded the city in 969, and the chronicles record that Mars — al-Najm al-Qahir, the subduing star — was in the ascendant as the foundations were dug, giving the city its name. The older Egyptian settlement it absorbed was Fustat. Cairo has been the largest city in the Arab world for most of the last thousand years and holds al-Azhar, among the oldest continuously operating universities anywhere. As a given name it is modern and American, appearing in our records from 1979.
Cairo in use
Cairo charts in five of the seven countries we track and peaked in 2022.
How popular is Cairo?
In 2025, Cairo was given to 1,000 babies in the United States, ranking #341 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Cairo is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Cairo
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Cairo also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Cairo over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Cairo
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Cairo in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Kairo
Sibling names for Cairo
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Cairo — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Cairo
What does the name Cairo mean?
The vanquisher, from the Arabic al-Qahirah. The epithet belonged to Mars, which was rising when the city was founded in 969.
Is Cairo a boy's or a girl's name?
It is given more often to boys.
How do you pronounce Cairo?
KY-roh in English, following the city.
How popular is the name Cairo?
In 2025, Cairo was given to 1,000 babies in the United States, ranking #341 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Cairo?
Cairo has 2 syllables.
When was Cairo most popular?
Cairo peaked in 2022, when 1,157 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Cairo?
Cairo is usually shortened to Cai.
Is Cairo a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Cairo currently ranks #341 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.