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Dakota

♂ Boy

Pronounced dah-KOH-tah /dəˈkoʊ.tə/High

Meaning: From the Dakota Sioux word 'dakotah', meaning 'friend', 'ally', or 'those who are considered friends' — the self-designation of the Dakota people.High

In 30 seconds: Dakota is a bold, wide-open American name drawn from the language of the Sioux Nation, meaning 'friend'. It evokes the sweeping plains and rugged beauty of the American Great Plains.
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Origin HighSioux (Lakota/Dakota)
MeaningFrom the Dakota Sioux word 'dakotah', meaning 'friend', 'ally', or 'those who are considered friends' — the self-designation of the Dakota people.
U.S. rank (2025)#319 ↗ Rising
2025 U.S. births1,074 boys (0.06% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1995
Total births (all-time)≈ 93,094

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 199519662025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

History & Origin

Dakota is the self-designation of the Dakota people, one of the main divisions of the Sioux Nation indigenous to the northern Great Plains of North America. The word means 'friend' or 'ally' in the Dakota language. It was applied to the territory and later the two states of North and South Dakota when they were admitted to the Union in 1889.

As a given name, Dakota began appearing in the United States in the 1980s and reached peak popularity in the 1990s and early 2000s, partly driven by a general trend of place names and Native American inspired names. It has been used for both boys and girls, with a slight lean toward boys. Its strong, open-vowel sound and evocative Great Plains imagery have maintained its appeal as a rugged, All-American name.

Did you know? The states of North Dakota and South Dakota take their names from the Dakota people, one of the three divisions of the Sioux Nation — making this one of only a handful of US states named directly from a Native American self-designation rather than European language.
Overall data confidence 92%
Hollow Horn Bear. Dakota Language Dictionary — Meaning of the word dakota in the Siouan languageSocial Security Administration Name Data — US gender distribution and popularity history

Variations

DakotahDacota

Nicknames

KotaDak

Famous Bearers

  • ★Dakota Fanning (2004–)
    Note: Dakota as a girl's name — actress Dakota Fanning born 1994, famous female bearer.

If you like Dakota…

Cheyenne— Native American place-name used as a given name with similar Great Plains associations
Sierra— geographic American place-name with natural imagery used for both boys and girls
Austin— American geographic place-name with similar Western frontier energy

Frequently Asked

What does the name Dakota mean?

Dakota means 'friend' or 'ally' in the Dakota Sioux language, the self-designation of the Dakota people.

How do you pronounce Dakota?

Dakota is pronounced dah-KOH-tah (/dəˈkoʊ.tə/), three syllables with stress on the second.

Is Dakota a boy or girl name?

Dakota is used for both boys and girls, with a slight majority of male bearers in US statistics.

How popular is Dakota?

Dakota peaked in the US top 100 during the 1990s and early 2000s and remains in the top 300 today.