Kairo
2025 SSA
2025 SSA
About Kairo
Contemporary Kairo fits in with the modern trend of substituting a C for a K initial, and in this case, it works to get you more easily to the cool nickname Kai. In fact, parents in the US and the UK see it as working so well that Kairo took over from Cairo as the preferred spelling of the name back in 2018. Given to nearly 1500 babies each year, Kairo is in the US and UK Top 300.
Kairo for boys#226 US
Deriving from the Arabic al-Qāhirah meaning "the conqueror", Cairo - and Kairo - are associated with the Egyptian city, a place of historical importance and modern architecture too. As a name, Cairo was popularized by rapper Tyga, who used it as his son's middle, and by Brazilian footballer, Cairo Santos.
Notable Kairos include rapper and influencer, Kairo Keyz, and Kairo Forbes, the daughter of DJ Zinhle and the late rapper, AKA.
While Kairo still feels like an unexpected choice, when you combine all the Cairos, Kairos and Kryos together, it was given to nearly 3000 babies in a recent year, making it feel like a name around the #120 mark, similar in popularity to Jasper, Emmett, or Milo.
Kairo for girls#4220 US
A fast rising city name and on trend for boys, Kairo has unisex potential too. Similar in sound to Kaia, Kyra, Skyla and Kai, Kairo was chosen by DJ Zinhle and later rapper, AKA, for their daughter, Kairo Forbes. Given to nearly 50 baby girls in recent years, it may well catch on in the future.
Pronounced KY-roh.
As of October 2026, Kairo ranked #226 in US births in 2025 SSA, Nameberry popularity #932.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,988 | 72 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #1,819 | 82 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #1,226 | 153 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #802 | 285 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #483 | 608 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #307 | 1,109 | #3,301 | 48 |
| 2020 | #280 | 1,194 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #263 | 1,316 | #4,199 | 34 |
| 2022 | #250 | 1,414 | #3,673 | 42 |
| 2023 | #234 | 1,488 | #3,450 | 46 |
| 2024 | #238 | 1,478 | #3,991 | 37 |
| 2025 | #226 | 1,577 | #4,220 | 34 |
World rankings
Kairo for boys
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