Dakota
Mostly girls · da-KOH-ta · Native American
Dakota is a name of Native American origin, meaning “friends, allies”. In 2025 it ranked 460th for girls in the UK (95 babies) and 295th for girls in the US (1,035 babies).
What does Dakota mean?
Native American: from the name of the Dakota people
“friends, allies”
From the Dakota, a Sioux people whose name was given to the US states of North and South Dakota.
- Say it
- da-KOH-ta
More on Wiktionary.
Is Dakota a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Dakota has been given to girls and boys, mostly girls. In 2025, it was given to 95 girls and 17 boys in the UK and 1,035 girls and 1,074 boys in the US.
How popular is Dakota in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #460among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 95about 1 in 2,900 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 7% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 95 girls in the UK were named Dakota, making it the 460th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 493rd. Its busiest year was 2018, with 129 girls. 17 boys were also named Dakota in 2025 (1,613th for boys).
Half of all the girls named Dakota in the UK since 1996 were born between 2010 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.
Girls were 65% of the babies named Dakota in the UK in 1996, and 85% in 2025.
Among girls in 2025, it was 490th in England and Wales, 324th in Scotland and 334th in Northern Ireland.
Dakota in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 95 | #460 |
| 2024 | 121 | #393 |
| 2023 | 91 | #480 |
| 2022 | 87 | #504 |
| 2021 | 107 | #447 |
| 2020 | 89 | #493 |
| 2019 | 113 | #417 |
| 2018 | 129 | #385 |
| 2017 | 115 | #428 |
| 2016 | 119 | #422 |
| 2015 | 108 | #453 |
| 2014 | 95 | #500 |
| 2013 | 93 | #502 |
| 2012 | 96 | #501 |
| 2011 | 74 | #596 |
| 2010 | 94 | #485 |
| 2009 | 77 | #558 |
| 2008 | 73 | #572 |
| 2007 | 75 | #548 |
| 2006 | 88 | #484 |
| 2005 | 50 | #681 |
| 2004 | 14 | #1,634 |
| 2003 | 15 | #1,492 |
| 2002 | 9 | #2,040 |
| 2001 | 9 | #1,974 |
| 2000 | 12 | #1,593 |
| 1999 | 13 | #1,493 |
| 1998 | 10 | #1,815 |
| 1997 | 10 | #1,780 |
| 1996 | 11 | #1,621 |
How popular is Dakota in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #295among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 1,035about 1 in 1,600 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 10% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 1,035 girls in the US were named Dakota, making it the 295th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 257th. Its busiest year was 2006, with 1,839 girls. It first appears in the records in 1915. 1,074 boys were also named Dakota in 2025 (319th for boys).
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Dakota than any year since 2003.
Half of all the girls named Dakota in the US since 1880 were born between 2000 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.
Girls were 39% of the babies named Dakota in the US in 1977, and 49% in 2025.
Dakota in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,035 | #295 |
| 2024 | 1,160 | #273 |
| 2023 | 1,191 | #262 |
| 2022 | 1,210 | #259 |
| 2021 | 1,163 | #270 |
| 2020 | 1,175 | #257 |
| 2019 | 1,269 | #259 |
| 2018 | 1,322 | #246 |
| 2017 | 1,362 | #231 |
| 2016 | 1,417 | #227 |
| 2015 | 1,334 | #242 |
| 2014 | 1,149 | #283 |
| 2013 | 1,089 | #293 |
| 2012 | 1,039 | #307 |
| 2011 | 1,068 | #294 |
| 2010 | 1,142 | #285 |
| 2009 | 1,198 | #274 |
| 2008 | 1,288 | #266 |
| 2007 | 1,486 | #239 |
| 2006 | 1,839 | #190 |
| 2005 | 1,515 | #225 |
| 2004 | 1,180 | #277 |
| 2003 | 917 | #339 |
| 2002 | 952 | #323 |
| 2001 | 943 | #330 |
| 2000 | 1,086 | #296 |
| 1999 | 1,167 | #269 |
| 1998 | 1,242 | #246 |
| 1997 | 1,175 | #250 |
| 1996 | 1,055 | #274 |
| 1995 | 1,125 | #252 |
| 1994 | 895 | #305 |
| 1993 | 724 | #355 |
| 1992 | 752 | #346 |
| 1991 | 636 | #400 |
| 1990 | 380 | #595 |
| 1989 | 163 | #1,045 |
| 1988 | 99 | #1,408 |
| 1987 | 78 | #1,590 |
| 1986 | 72 | #1,637 |
| 1985 | 62 | #1,808 |
| 1984 | 19 | #3,989 |
| 1983 | 15 | #4,685 |
| 1982 | 13 | #5,207 |
| 1981 | 19 | #4,004 |
| 1980 | 25 | #3,318 |
| 1979 | 20 | #3,776 |
| 1978 | 15 | #4,459 |
| 1977 | 14 | #4,651 |
| 1976 | 11 | #5,213 |
| 1975 | 12 | #4,852 |
| 1974 | 8 | #6,257 |
| 1973 | 11 | #4,869 |
| 1972 | 6 | #7,290 |
| 1971 | 8 | #6,004 |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 8 | #4,865 |
| 1965 | 9 | #4,493 |
| 1964 | 6 | #6,008 |
| 1963 | 5 | #6,591 |
| 1962 | 9 | #4,532 |
| 1961 | 13 | #3,607 |
| 1960 | 13 | #3,511 |
| 1959 | 20 | #2,595 |
| 1958 | 11 | #3,746 |
| 1957 | 0 | – |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 0 | – |
| 1954 | 0 | – |
| 1953 | 0 | – |
| 1952 | 0 | – |
| 1951 | 0 | – |
| 1950 | 0 | – |
| 1949 | 0 | – |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 0 | – |
| 1946 | 0 | – |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 6 | #4,462 |
| 1920 | 0 | – |
| 1919 | 0 | – |
| 1918 | 0 | – |
| 1917 | 0 | – |
| 1916 | 0 | – |
| 1915 | 8 | #3,133 |
Nicknames for Dakota
- Kota 87 boys in the US in 2025
Names like Dakota
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Yumna Minha Yuna Suki Kiki Mika Rumi Remi Akosua Sienna Amira Yusra
Other spellings of Dakota
Names related to Dakota
More Native American names
Tallulah Nayeli Winona Kenai Cree Xochitl Xitlali Citlali Alaska Talulah Sequoia Denali Tennessee Dakoda Lakota Wynonna