Dakota

Did you know?

A few things about Dakota you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Dakota

Dakota Fanning

American actress and model (born 1994)

Choose Dakota and your child shares a first name with Dakota Fanning, an American actress and model. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Dakota, like who?” Dakota Fanning's Wikipedia article is available in 85 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Dakota Fanning on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Crislapi3, CC0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 1,590 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Dakota, 1,074 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Dakota would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryDakota first shows up in US birth records in 1915, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 110 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1995, when it ranked #56. Today it's #319, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowDakota was 3.7× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 431 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 1,590.
• 🚀TrendDakota has climbed 27 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #319. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedDakota is most popular in Oklahoma, where it ranks #133, followed by Alaska (#165) and Mississippi (#165). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• ⚖️Boy or girlDakota is given to both boys and girls: 51% of the 2,109 babies named Dakota in 2025 were boys. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningIn Sioux, Dakota means “friend, ally”.
• 🌍OriginDakota is the #2 most popular Native American boy name in the US. That's out of 349 Native American boy and unisex names in our list.

About the name Dakota

Dakota is a gender-neutral name of Native American origin meaning “friend, ally”. It has 6 letters and 3 syllables, starting with D and ending in “-ota”. US birth records list Dakota for boys from 1966 to 2025, in 57 of those 60 years. Its best year was 1995, when it ranked #56 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #319, with 1,074 babies. Of the 2,109 US babies named Dakota in 2025, 49% were girls and 51% were boys.

Origin:Native American names