Nairobi is the capital of Kenya; the name comes from the Maasai phrase enkare nairobi, meaning "place of cool waters", after the river that runs through the city. As a first name it belongs to the group of place names such as Kenya, London and Savannah. Nairobi was far outside the top 5000 in 2015, soared to a best rank of 1043 in 2021 and has eased back to number 1870 in 2025.