Dakota
Featured in baby name books
Dakota means “friend” or “ally” in the Sioux language and is the name of the people for whom the two Dakota states are named. Dakota began as a boys' name but was quickly taken up for girls, and it carries a wild, Western sense of adventure. Actress Dakota Fanning raised the name's profile, and New York's Dakota building, where John Lennon lived, also shares it.
Sources: 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Unusual Baby Names, Baby Names Made Easy, 10,000 Baby Names
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Usage of Dakota in different languages / cultures
The list below was created by gathering names from various sources for different languages, and then matching Dakota against each list of names.
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Albanian
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Bengali
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Catalan
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Chinese
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Cornish
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Croatian
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Czech
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Danish
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Dothraki
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Dutch
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English
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Estonian
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Filipino
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Finnish
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French
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Georgian
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German
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Greek
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Hawaiian
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Hebrew
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Hindi
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Hungarian
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Icelandic
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Indonesian
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Irish
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Italian
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Japanese
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Khmer
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Klingon
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Korean
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Latin
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Latvian
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Macedonian
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Norwegian
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Persian
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Polish
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Portuguese
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Romanian
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Russian
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Scottish
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Serbian
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Slovak
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Slovenian
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Spanish
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Swahili
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Swedish
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Telugu
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Thai
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Turkish
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Ukrainian
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Vietnamese
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Welsh
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Yiddish
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Yoruba
Note: In some cases it is possible for the check mark to be missing even if Dakota is used in a particular country, as almost no source name list has 100% coverage.
Dakota in official name statistics
United States
In 2025, 1,074 boys were named Dakota, making it the #319 boys' name in the US. Since 1966, 93,118 boys have been named Dakota, with the most (6,575) in 1995. It is most common, relative to births, in Alaska, Delaware and Oklahoma.
In 2025, 1,035 girls were named Dakota, making it the #295 girls' name in the US. Since 1915, 41,458 girls have been named Dakota, with the most (1,839) in 2006. It is most common, relative to births, in Delaware, South Dakota and Maryland.
Source: Social Security Administration baby name data, 1880–2025. Names given to fewer than 5 babies in a year are not listed.
Other countries
| Where | Rank | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada (Ontario) | #783 girls | 15 | Government of Ontario (Office of the Registrar General, ServiceOntario), 2024 |
| Canada (Ontario) | #719 boys | 16 | Government of Ontario (Office of the Registrar General, ServiceOntario), 2024 |
| England and Wales | #490 girls | 81 | Office for National Statistics (ONS), 2025 |
| Ireland | #885 girls | 3 | Central Statistics Office (CSO), 2025 |
| New Zealand | #307 girls | 13 | Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), Births, Deaths and Marriages, 2025 |
| Northern Ireland (English-speaking) | #334 girls | 4 | Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), 2025 |
| Northern Ireland (Irish-speaking) | #334 girls | 4 | Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), 2025 |
| Scotland | #324 girls | 10 | National Records of Scotland (NRS), 2025 |
Counts are babies born that year, or living people for "all ages" rows, as published by each country's statistics office or population register.
Towns named Dakota
There are 17 towns and villages with Dakota in their name, in 4 countries.
🇺🇸 United States 14🇬🇹 Guatemala 1🇭🇳 Honduras 1🇳🇴 Norway 1
| Name | Where | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota Ridge | Colorado, 🇺🇸 United States | 33,892 | Map |
| Dakota Dunes | South Dakota, 🇺🇸 United States | 2,540 | Map |
| Dakota City | Nebraska, 🇺🇸 United States | 1,906 | Map |
| Dakota | Wisconsin, 🇺🇸 United States | 1,207 | Map |
| Dakota City | Iowa, 🇺🇸 United States | 813 | Map |
| Dakota | Illinois, 🇺🇸 United States | 478 | Map |
| Dakota | Minnesota, 🇺🇸 United States | 317 | Map |
| Dakota | Izabal Department, 🇬🇹 Guatemala | – | Map |
| Dakota | Atlántida Department, 🇭🇳 Honduras | – | Map |
| Dakota | Trøndelag, 🇳🇴 Norway | – | Map |
Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Maps: OpenStreetMap.
Lakes named Dakota
There are 2 lakes and reservoirs with Dakota in their name, in 2 countries.
🇨🇦 Canada 1🇺🇸 United States 1
| Name | Where | |
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| Dakota Lake | Ontario, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Dakota Lake | North Dakota, 🇺🇸 United States | Map |
Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Maps: OpenStreetMap.
Dakota songs
4 songs and musical works on Wikidata have Dakota in their title. The best known:
- Dakota – Stereophonics (2005)
- The Black Hills of Dakota – Sammy Fain
- It's for You, North Dakota U
- DAKOTA (Edwards)
Song data: Wikidata (CC0), ordered by how widely each song is covered on Wikipedia.
Celebrities named Dakota
Based on celebrities listed on Wikipedia, filtered to only those with the first name Dakota.
Dakota Blue Richards
Dakota Fanning
Dakota Johnson
Dakota Staton
Fictional characters named Dakota
Characters from films and TV series, from Wikidata, ordered by how widely they are covered on Wikipedia.
Character data: Wikidata (CC0). Images: Wikimedia Commons; click an image for its author and licence.
Dakota as a pet name
FurryName has found 1,456 dogs named Dakota in public pet registers, making it the #127 dog name there. Most of them are registered in Allegheny County (1037), Tacoma (6), Prospect (2). Dakota as a dog name →
FurryName has found 9 cats named Dakota in public pet registers, making it the #1,049 cat name there. Most of them are registered in Fusagasugá (1), Surf Coast Shire (1), Golden Plains Shire (1). Dakota as a cat name →
Dakota products
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Dakota name mug
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Dakota tumbler
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Dakota cap
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Dakota t-shirt
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Dakota necklace
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Dakota bracelet
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Dakota keychain
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Dakota ornament
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Dakota baby blanket
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Dakota name puzzle
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Dakota wall sign
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Dakota pillow
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