The first name Dakota
A unisex name meaning “ally”.
Pronounced /dəˈkəʊtə/ 3 syllables Unisex
Meaning and origin
Dakota means “ally”.
Borrowed from Dakota dakhóta (“ally”).
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 81 girls were named Dakota, making it the 490th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2024, with 108 births (#400).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Dakota with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Dakota at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 1,074 boys born in the United States were named Dakota, the 319th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1995, when 6,575 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Dakota in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Dakota in Dutch and German too.
Nicknames and spellings
Nicknames for Dakota
- Dak
Other spellings and forms
- Dacota
- Dacotah
- Dahcotah
- Dakhóta
Famous people named Dakota
11 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Dakota FanningAmerican actress and model (born 1994)
- Dakota JohnsonAmerican actress and model (born 1989)
- Dakota Blue RichardsEnglish actress, born 1994
- Dakota GoyoCanadian actor, born 1999
- Dakota StatonAmerican jazz vocalist (1930-2007)
- Dakota SkyeAmerican pornographic film actress, 1994–2021
- Dakota MathiasAmerican basketball player (born 1995)
- Dakota DitchevaBritish Muay Thai practitioner, born 1999
- Dakota RoseAmerican model, fashion blogger, and television personality based in Tokyo, Japan, born 1995
- Dakota LutherAmerican swimmer, born 1999
- Dak PrescottAmerican football player (born 1993)
Questions
- What does the name Dakota mean?
- Dakota means “ally”.
- How popular is the name Dakota?
- In 2025, 81 girls born in England and Wales were named Dakota, ranking 490th. Its peak was 2024, with 108 births.
- What are nicknames for Dakota?
- Common nicknames for Dakota include Dak.
- Is Dakota a boy's or a girl's name?
- Both. Of the 134,576 US babies named Dakota since 1880, 31% were girls and 69% boys.
- When was Dakota most popular?
- 1995 in the United States, when 6,575 babies were named Dakota, its highest rank at 56th.
- How do you pronounce Dakota?
- Dakota is /dəˈkəʊtə/, 3 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Dakota?
- Dacota, Dacotah, Dahcotah and Dakhóta.