Nairobi
About Nairobi
Kenya is fairly commonly heard as a girl's name, but its capital city makes a much more exceptional choice. The name comes from the Maasai phrase "Enkare Nairobi," which translates to "cold water." Nairobi is popularly known as the Green City.
Nairobi has grown in usage following the release of Netflix's Money Heist where manager Nairobi is played by Ágata Jiménez. American parents are picking up on this African place-name, with over 200 girls receiving the name each year in the 2020s.
Pronounced nigh-ROH-bee.
As of October 2026, Nairobi ranked #1870 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #1043 in 2021.
Editor's take: The name Nairobi is a girl's name of African origin meaning "cold water".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | #3,983 | 37 | 21.8 |
| 2019 | #2,671 | 65 | 38.7 |
| 2020 | #1,124 | 215 | 133 |
| 2021 | #1,043 | 242 | 147.5 |
| 2022 | #1,080 | 233 | 142.1 |
| 2023 | #1,319 | 172 | 107.2 |
| 2024 | #1,535 | 139 | 85.8 |
| 2025 | #1,870 | 106 | 66 |
World rankings
Similar names
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Nairobi on lists
Nairobi in pop culture
- Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase "Enkare Nairobi
" which translates to "the place of cool waters." Nairobi is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun."
- Nairobi
pseudonym of Agata Jiménez, one of the main characters in series “Money Heist”