Head to head · Boys' names
Kairo vs Kevin
#226 vs #221 in 2025
Kevin is a whisker ahead (#221 vs #226 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Kevin is stepping back from its peak, Kairo is climbing the charts fast. On momentum, Kairo has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Kevin leads 5 measures of 6; Kairo leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1910s: Kairo —, Kevin #1829 — Kevin higher
- 1920s: Kairo —, Kevin #917 — Kevin higher
- 1930s: Kairo —, Kevin #471 — Kevin higher
- 1940s: Kairo —, Kevin #209 — Kevin higher
- 1950s: Kairo —, Kevin #34 — Kevin higher
- 1960s: Kairo —, Kevin #15 — Kevin higher
- 1970s: Kairo —, Kevin #15 — Kevin higher
- 1980s: Kairo —, Kevin #22 — Kevin higher
- 1990s: Kairo #6083, Kevin #27 — Kevin higher
- 2000s: Kairo #4627, Kevin #36 — Kevin higher
- 2010s: Kairo #1811, Kevin #88 — Kevin higher
- 2020s: Kairo #249, Kevin #188 — Kevin higher
Kevin stood higher in every recorded decade — 12 of 12.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Kairo | Kevin |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s | — | #1829 |
| 1920s | — | #917 |
| 1930s | — | #471 |
| 1940s | — | #209 |
| 1950s | — | #34 |
| 1960s | — | #15 |
| 1970s | — | #15 |
| 1980s | — | #22 |
| 1990s | #6083 | #27 |
| 2000s | #4627 | #36 |
| 2010s | #1811 | #88 |
| 2020s | #249 | #188 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Kairo
From Cairo — Arabic al-Qāhira, "the vanquisher"
The most direct route is the Egyptian capital: al-Qāhira, "the vanquisher" or "the victorious", a name given to the city in the tenth century. Some parents instead have in mind the Greek kairos, the word for the right or opportune moment, which the spelling with K resembles closely. Both readings are in genuine use, and neither cancels the other.
al-Qāhira → Cairo → Kairo
How it traveled
Cairo was founded in the tenth century by the Fatimid dynasty and named al-Qāhira; the shortened Arabic form traveled into European languages as Cairo. Americans have used it as a place name at home too — there are towns called Cairo in Illinois and Georgia, both pronounced KAY-ro by the people who live there.
Kevin
gentle; kindly
Irish caomh means gentle, kind or beloved, and Caoimhin adds the diminutive -in, giving something like the gentle one. The derivation is well attested. It is worth noticing what the name does not say: most early medieval men's names across Europe are about battle, spears, rule or wolves, and a name meaning gentle stands out sharply against that background.
Caoimhín → Kevin
How it traveled
Kevin of Glendalough founded a monastery in a valley in Wicklow in the sixth century and is one of Ireland's principal saints; the stories about him involve a great deal of standing still in cold water and a blackbird nesting in his outstretched hand. The name stayed inside Ireland for a very long time and crossed to America with Irish emigration, becoming widely used in the middle of the last century — the first Gaelic name to do so on that scale, and the reason the rest followed.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Kairo
KY-roh
Two syllables, first stressed, rhyming with "gyro" as most Americans say it. A KAY-roh pronunciation also exists, following the American towns named Cairo, so it is worth stating your preference once at introductions.
- Kai — The obvious short form, and a well-established given name in its own right in English, German and Hawaiian use.
- Ky — Informal, family-level; also spelled Ki.
- Ro — Informal, usually from siblings and friends rather than adults.
Kevin
KEV-in
KEV-in, two syllables, stress at the front. Irish Caoimhin is closer to KWEE-veen or KEE-veen depending on the dialect, with the mh sounded as a v — so the English name is a considerable simplification of the original rather than a spelling of it.
- Kev — The front clipped, and the short form nearly every Kevin is given; a complete working name.
- Kevo — The name with an Australian-style ending, which travels further than its origin suggests.
- Vin — The back taken alone, and a standing short form of its own from an unrelated name.
Who has carried each name
Kairo
No documented entry for Kairo yet.
Kevin
Kevin Hart (b. 1979) — One of comedy's biggest box-office stars
Kevin Costner (b. 1955) — Dances with Wolves Oscar winner
Kevin Durant (b. 1988) — One of the NBA's greatest scorers
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Kairo if you want…
- a name on the way upup 54 places on the charts in five years
- a name that feels very nowKairo is climbing the charts fast
Choose Kevin if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsKevin is stepping back from its peak
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 12% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 50% for Kairo
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Kairo
Strengths
- Comes with Kai already built in — a short form that stands on its own as a full given name in several languages.
- Simple vowels and no silent letters; readable at first sight to English, Spanish and Japanese speakers alike.
- Ties to a city whose name is recognized worldwide, so the word is familiar even where the given name is not.
To consider
- The C spelling, Cairo, is the one most people know from maps, so expect to correct it in writing fairly often — and to be asked whether it is Kairo or Cairo each time.
- Pronunciation is not fully settled between KY-roh and KAY-roh. Neither is wrong, but you will be the one establishing which it is.
- The K-for-C respelling places the name firmly in a very recent wave, and almost everyone carrying it now is small. That means little company in a classroom, and no older namesakes to point to yet.
Kevin
Strengths
- The meaning is gentle, which almost no other men's name of its age can say.
- Kev is a clean short form that works in any English-speaking country.
- The saint behind it is a real and well-documented figure with a place still attached to him.
To consider
- A very great many people carry it, so a Kevin will rarely be the only one in a room over a lifetime.
- In France and Germany the name arrived later and carries class associations it does not carry here, which matters if the family moves.
- It is strongly associated with one American generation and dates a person fairly closely.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Kairo
50%chance Kairo feels dated by 2040
Kairo is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
Kevin
12%chance Kevin feels dated by 2040
Kevin has held the top-100 across 7 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Kairo and Kevin in full.
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Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- The names with the most spellings
- Names ending in -o
- Midcentury modern: tomorrow's comeback bets
- Baby Boomer names (born 1946–1964)
- all guides
Where Kairo and Kevin each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Kairo or Kevin — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Kairo or Kevin?
- Kevin, in 2025: Kevin ranked #221 with 1,628 babies; Kairo ranked #226 with 1,577 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Kairo or Kevin?
- Kairo. Over the last five years Kairo moved up 54 places; Kevin moved down 64 places.
- Which is the older name, Kairo or Kevin?
- Kairo entered the US charts in 1995; Kevin entered the US charts in 1912. On the American record, Kevin is the older name.
- How many people are named Kairo and Kevin?
- About 11,000 people named Kairo are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 1,053,000 people named Kevin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Kairos or Kevins in the classroom?
- Kairo will almost certainly be the only one in school. Kevin will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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