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Dacota

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Dacota

Pronounced duh-KOH-tuh /dəˈkoʊ.tə/Medium

Meaning: Dacota is a respelling of the place-and-people name Dakota, which comes from the Dakota division of the Sioux and is usually glossed 'friend' or 'ally'. The variant spelling carries the same meaning as the standard Dakota.Medium

In 30 seconds: Dacota is a rare spelling of Dakota, from the Dakota (Sioux) people, meaning 'friend' or 'ally' (said 'duh-KOH-tuh').

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Origin MediumNative American

MeaningDacota is a respelling of the place-and-people name Dakota, which comes from the Dakota division of the Sioux and is usually glossed 'friend' or 'ally'. The variant spelling carries the same meaning as the standard Dakota.

U.S. rank (2022)#10031 ↘ Falling

2022 U.S. births7 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1997

Total births (all-time)≈ 491

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

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

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Dacota is a minority spelling of Dakota, the name of a Sioux people and of two American states, traditionally rendered 'friend' or 'ally'. It arrived on the coat-tails of Dakota's surge as a unisex frontier-flavored name in the late twentieth century.

The spelling appeared briefly, crested in the late nineteen-nineties, and slipped away as Dakota itself cooled. A boy named Dacota is likely a millennial, and the variant has not developed a life of its own.

Did you know? Dacota surfaced with the huge Dakota fashion of the nineteen-nineties but only as a fringe spelling, given to just a few dozen boys a year at its 1997 peak.

Overall data confidence 60%

References - Dacota — respelling of Dakota; Sioux people name

Variations

DakotaDakodaDacotah

Nicknames

CodyCota

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Dacota…

Cheyenne— a like Native-derived place-and-people name

Cody— a similar frontier-flavored boy's name of the era

Dallas— another American place name used for boys

Nakota— another Native American name

Calian— shares Dacota's Native American roots

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Dacota mean?

Dacota is a variant spelling of Dakota, from the Dakota (Sioux) people, and means 'friend' or 'ally'.

How do you pronounce Dacota?

It's said duh-KOH-tuh /dəˈkoʊ.tə/ - three syllables, stress on the second.

Is Dacota a boy or girl name?

Dacota is used here as a boy's name, though Dakota is unisex.

How popular is Dacota?

Dacota was always a rare spelling of Dakota, cresting in the late nineteen-nineties.