Cairo
Boy name · #341 in 2025 · Distinctive
How old is the name Cairo? In official American birth records, Cairo has been tracked continuously since 1979, giving it 46 years of documented American history.
Cairo is currently the #341 boy name in the United States — 965 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #942, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 1,865 boys born in 2025 was named Cairo.
Babies named Cairo per year. Source: Official national birth records.
The 46-year story
Cairo first appears in the Social Security records in 1979, when 6 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2022, with 1,101 babies and a rank of #306. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Cairo against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Cairo in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Cairo is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "distinctive". That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Cairo is most common
Geography matters for names, and Cairo is no exception. Adjusted for how many boys are born in each state, Cairo is most common in DC (4 per 1,000), MD (1.4 per 1,000), GA (1.3 per 1,000), LA (1.3 per 1,000), SC (1.1 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.7 per 1,000 boys. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Cairo is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Cairo
Statistically, parents drawn to Cairo tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Kairo, Kyro, Niko, Colson, and Tadeo.
KairoKyroNikoColsonTadeoApolloCrewKenzo
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Cairo | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 965 | #341 |
| 2024 | 949 | #354 |
| 2023 | 1,010 | #331 |
| 2022 | 1,101 | #306 |
| 2021 | 1,020 | #325 |
| 2020 | 918 | #348 |
| 2019 | 976 | #342 |
| 2018 | 543 | #522 |
| 2017 | 404 | #638 |
| 2016 | 267 | #844 |
| 2015 | 223 | #942 |
| 2014 | 173 | #1102 |
| 2013 | 157 | #1149 |
| 2012 | 105 | #1523 |
| 2011 | 93 | #1635 |
| 2010 | 46 | #2632 |
| 2009 | 58 | #2252 |
| 2008 | 45 | #2717 |
| 2007 | 36 | #3135 |
| 2006 | 51 | #2398 |
| 2005 | 42 | #2614 |
| 2004 | 24 | #3735 |
| 2003 | 23 | #3732 |
| 2002 | 21 | #3909 |
| 2001 | 19 | #4121 |
Frequently asked questions
How old is the name Cairo?
In official American birth records, the name Cairo first appeared in 1979 (over 46 years ago), when 6 newborn boys received the name. It has been tracked in modern national records for 46 years.
Is Cairo a popular boy name?
Cairo ranked #341 among boys in 2025 with 965 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #942.
When was the name Cairo most popular?
Cairo peaked in 2022, when 1,101 American boys received the name (ranked #306 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Cairo?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 1,865 newborn American boys was named Cairo. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "distinctive".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.