Dakota (given name)


Dakota is a unisex given name derived from the name of the Native American Dakota people, or from the name of two states in the United States, North Dakota and South Dakota, which are also derived from the Dakota people indigenous to that area. The name is translated to mean "friend", "friendly" or "allies" in the Yankton-Yanktonai and Santee dialects of the Dakota language.

Popularity

The name has been in occasional use for both sexes in the United States since the 1850s and 1860s, according to census records. It was part of a 19th century fashion for using unusual place names. It is currently used in roughly equal numbers for both boys and girls in that country.
The name's popularity grew in the 1990s in the United States. It was among the top 100 most popular boy names from 1993 to 2001, reaching its peak at number 56 in 1995. Since 2010, it has been slightly more frequently given to girls. As of 2021, it was the 270th most common girl name and the 344th most common boy name.

People with the name

Fictional