How to say it
CAI · ro
/ˈkaɪ.roʊ/
Masculine
Cairo
The victorious
What it means
From the Egyptian capital Cairo, Arabic al-Qāhira, 'the victorious' or 'the conqueror.'
Cairo takes its name from Egypt's capital, in Arabic al-Qāhira, 'the victorious.' Like other bold place names, it has moved into first-name use, carrying a sense of grandeur and far-off cities. It rose alongside the Kairo spelling and reads confident and modern. It sits with the other strong K-and-hard-C names like Cyrus and Kairo. Said KY-roh.
Popularity over time
peaked at #306 in 2022, currently #341 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Spelling
Cairo and Kairo are the two common spellings.
- Worth knowing
A place name carrying the city's 'victorious' meaning.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Cairo the capital of Egypt, the name's source
Spelling variants
- Kairo
- Khairo
- Cyro
Names with the same feeling
See Cairo from another angle
By style