NameCensus.

UK name, mostly boys

Cairo

An Arabic name meaning "victorious" or "the vanquisher".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Cairo is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Cairo popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #385, with 108 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2023, with 138 births.

This profile covers 1,480 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 78% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 1,502 living people in the UK are called Cairo. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Cairo ranked #385 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 108 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2023, when 138 boys were registered as Cairo.
  • Cairo ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #432 in 2024.
  • About 1,502 living people in the UK are estimated to have Cairo as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
  • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 97.9% of Cairo registrations are for boys.

Latest rank (E&W)

#385

2024

Births in 2024

108

Latest year

Peak year

2023

138 births

Estimated living

1,502

2026

Gender

Boy and girl registrations for Cairo

In England and Wales birth records, Cairo has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 97.9% of registrations are for boys and 2.1% are for girls.

These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.

98% boys
Boys1,480 (97.9%)Girls31 (2.1%)

Cairo registered for boys

  • Ranked #385 in 2024
  • 108 boys registered in 2024
  • Peak: 2023 (138 births)

Cairo registered for girls

  • Ranked #3,970 in 2022
  • 5 girls registered in 2022
  • Peak: 2000 (5 births)

Meaning

What does Cairo mean?

The name Cairo has its origins in the Arabic language. It is derived from the Arabic word "al-Qahirah", which means "the Victorious" or "the Conqueror". The name is closely associated with the city of Cairo, the capital of Egypt, which was founded in the 10th century AD.

The name Cairo is believed to have first appeared in historical records around the time of the founding of the city. It was given to the city by its founder, the Fatimid Caliph Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah, who established his capital there in 969 AD. The name was chosen to reflect the city's strategic location and the Fatimid dynasty's military conquests.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Cairo for a person can be found in the 12th century. Cairo ibn Shuaib, a renowned Arab mathematician and astronomer, lived in the late 12th century and made significant contributions to the development of trigonometry and spherical geometry.

Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Cairo. One of the most famous was Cairo Emanuele, an Italian mathematician and engineer who lived in the 17th century (1639-1715). He was known for his work on hydraulics and was involved in the construction of several important engineering projects in Italy.

Another prominent figure was Cairo Pizarro, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru in the 16th century (c. 1508-1538). He played a crucial role in the capture and execution of the Inca emperor Atahualpa and was later executed himself for his role in a rebellion against the Spanish crown.

In the 20th century, Cairo Camposano was a Filipino poet and writer who lived from 1909 to 1994. He was known for his contributions to the development of modern Filipino literature and was recognized with several prestigious literary awards.

Cairo Govathov was a Bulgarian wrestler who competed in the 1960s and 1970s. He won a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich and was a three-time world champion in his weight class.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Cairo throughout history. While the name has its roots in the Arabic language and the city of Cairo, it has been adopted and used by people of various cultures and backgrounds over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Cairo over time

The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Cairo in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Cairo, the clearest high point is 2023. The latest England and Wales figure is 108 births in 2024, compared with 138 at the peak.

Babies born per year

BoysGirls
03569104138199620102024

Decades

Cairo by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Cairo was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #368 588 5
2010s #591 669 10
2000s #1174 184 10
1990s #1342 39 4

Geography

Where Cairo is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Cairo. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Cairo ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #432 in 2024.

Scotland
7

Across the UK

Cairo in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#432 in 2024

6 years of NRS records, 31 total registered

Related

Names similar to Cairo

FAQ

Cairo: questions and answers

How popular is the name Cairo in the UK right now?

In 2024, Cairo was ranked #385 for boys in England and Wales, with 108 births registered.

When was Cairo most popular?

The peak year on record was 2023, with 138 babies registered as Cairo in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Cairo?

An Arabic name meaning "victorious" or "the vanquisher".

How many people are called Cairo in the UK?

A total of 1,480 babies have been registered as Cairo across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 31 more in Scotland.

Where is Cairo most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Cairo ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #432 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.