Nairobi
Of Masai origin, meaning "cool water" or "stream of cold water".
Name Census estimates that about 1,475 living Americans carry the first name Nairobi. It is a predominantly female name (97.7% of registrations). The average person named Nairobi today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nairobi births was 2021 (242 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nairobi. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Nairobi is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 9 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.5K
~ 1 in 232,376 Americans
Peak year
2021
242 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2023 SSA rank
#1,535
Tracked since 1971
Gender
Gender distribution for Nairobi
Nairobi leans heavily female at 97.7% of total registrations, but 35 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Nairobi as a male name
- Ranked #13,541 in 2023
- 5 male births in 2023
- Peak: 1999 (9 births)
Nairobi as a female name
- Ranked #1,535 in 2024
- 139 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (242 births)
Popularity
Nairobi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nairobi from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 1,006 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nairobi by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Nairobi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nairobis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 21 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Nairobi, while Tennessee, Massachusetts, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 39 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nairobi
Nairobi is a name derived from the Maasai phrase "Enkare Nairobi," which translates to "cool water." It is the name of the capital city of Kenya and has its origins in the region's indigenous Maasai language and culture.
The name "Nairobi" first appeared in written records during the late 19th century, when British colonists established a settlement near the Nairobi River. The site was chosen due to its proximity to the cool, fresh water source, which was a rarity in the area's arid environment.
While the name itself does not have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it holds significant cultural importance for the Maasai people, who have inhabited the region for centuries. The Maasai were pastoralists who relied heavily on water sources for their livestock, making the "cool water" of Nairobi a valuable and revered resource.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Nairobi was Nairobi Kuria, a Maasai warrior who lived in the late 19th century and played a crucial role in negotiating with the British colonists during the establishment of the settlement that would eventually become the city of Nairobi.
Another notable figure with the name Nairobi was Nairobi Mara, a Maasai leader and elder who was instrumental in preserving the traditional customs and knowledge of his people in the face of colonization and modernization. He lived from approximately 1880 to 1965.
In more recent history, Nairobi Gatheru (1920-2010) was a Kenyan politician and activist who fought for the country's independence from British rule. She was a prominent figure in the Mau Mau uprising and played a significant role in shaping Kenya's post-colonial political landscape.
Nairobi Muthoni (born 1985) is a contemporary Kenyan musician and songwriter who has gained international recognition for her fusion of traditional Maasai rhythms and melodies with modern genres like hip-hop and R&B.
Nairobi Kamau (born 1992) is a Kenyan-born American actress and model who has appeared in various television shows and films, including the popular series "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."
While the name Nairobi has gained global recognition due to the city's prominence, it remains deeply rooted in the Maasai culture and language, serving as a testament to the enduring legacy of the region's indigenous people.
People
Nairobi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nairobi as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nairobi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nairobi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,475 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nairobi going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 232,376 US residents.
Is Nairobi a common name?
We classify Nairobi as "Rare". It ranks above 92.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,490 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nairobi most popular?
The single biggest year for Nairobi was 2021, when 242 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nairobi is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nairobi a female name?
Yes, 97.7% of people registered as Nairobi in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.