Baby Name Popularity Profile

Dakota

Data-driven SSA statistics, rankings, and historical trends for Dakota.

✦ Friend or ally 🌍 Other Nature
National Rank (2025) #319
All-Time Peak Rank #56 Achieved 1995
Total U.S. Births 93,118 since 1880
Unisex Distribution 49.3% Boy / 50.7% Girl Highly Balanced
Girl Rank (2025) #296 β†— as a Girl name
First Recorded 1966 Data through: 2025
Peak Decade 1990s 6,575 births in 1995
πŸ’‘ The Dakota Vibe: Considered a Modern Trend. A contemporary choice reflecting current cultural naming rhythms and popularity brackets.

🌍 Meaning & Etymology

Primary Meaning Friend or ally
Language Origin Other
Origin Type uncertain
Derived from the name of the Dakota people, meaning 'friend' or 'ally' in the Sioux language.
Common Nicknames
Kota Kody
Pronunciation: dΙ™-KOH-tΙ™
Themes & Categories
Nature
Etymology confidence: High Β· Under review

πŸ“Š Popularity Over Time (1880 – 2025)

Annual registration volume (number of births) for Dakota across 146 years of SSA data.

Historical Timeline (1880 - 2025)
18801920196020002025
Recent Decade (2015 - 2025)
5-Year Trend (2020–2025) +16.7%
10-Year Trend (2015–2025) +13.9%
2015: 943 births 943 2016: 874 births 2017: 1,000 births 2018: 944 births 2019: 973 births 2020: 920 births 920 2021: 958 births 2022: 945 births 2023: 1,017 births 2024: 1,060 births 2025: 1,074 births 1,074
2015 2020 2025

πŸ“ˆ Popularity Milestones

Busiest Year on Record 6,575 births in 1995
Years in Top 100 9 yrs
Years in Top 500 40 yrs
Longest Streak 54 yrs
Decade-by-Decade Registration Volumes
1880s: 0
1890s: 0
1900s: 0
1910s: 0
1920s: 0
1930s: 0
1940s: 0
1950s: 0
1960s: 10
1970s: 180
1980s: 2,457
1990s: 46,649
2000s: 28,181
2010s: 9,667
2020s: 5,974

πŸ“ Sound & Spelling Structure

Phonetic Syllables Da-kot-a
Letter Count 6 letters
Spelling Complexity Moderate
Length Percentile Longer than 25.7% of names
Linguistic Profile: Longer than 25.7% of SSA names. Starts with D, a letter used by only 6.6% of SSA names.

πŸ› οΈ Sibling & Surname Cadence Tool

Enter a surname or sibling name to test how it pairs with Dakota.

πŸ‘¨β€πŸ‘©β€πŸ‘§ Sibling Name Suggestions

πŸ‘¦ Brother Suggestions
Tyler Grant Brandon Malcolm Casey Spencer Forrest Ricardo Jared Alex
πŸ‘§ Sister Suggestions
Selena Morgan Brooke Taylor Kiara Sabrina Ariel Kayla Raven Alexandra

πŸ“ Authentic State & Regional Rankings

Highest Ranking State Oklahoma
Top States Oklahoma, West Virginia, Idaho, Arkansas, Kentucky
States with Data 50
State 2025 Rank Total Births Peak Year 5-Yr Velocity
Oklahoma #133 3,243 1995 Insufficient historical volume
West Virginia #267 1,849 1997 Insufficient historical volume
Idaho #234 749 1995 Insufficient historical volume
Arkansas #183 2,050 1995 Insufficient historical volume
Kentucky #184 3,280 1995 +24.0% Growth
Nevada #278 624 1995 Insufficient historical volume
Missouri #233 4,005 1995 Insufficient historical volume
Tennessee #283 3,742 1994 +6.9% Growth
Oregon #194 1,590 1995 Insufficient historical volume
Alaska #173 241 1995 Insufficient historical volume
Kansas #477 1,753 1995 Insufficient historical volume
Indiana #256 3,829 1995 +14.3% Growth
Utah #333 1,314 1995 Insufficient historical volume
Vermont Unranked 235 1997 Insufficient historical volume
Iowa #596 1,786 1995 Insufficient historical volume
Wyoming Unranked 177 1997 Insufficient historical volume
Washington #407 1,943 1995 Insufficient historical volume
Virginia #284 2,679 1995 3.2% Decline
North Carolina #249 3,380 1996 +13.6% Growth
Maine #239 518 1997 Insufficient historical volume
Colorado #349 1,408 1995 Insufficient historical volume
Ohio #236 5,257 1996 +23.3% Growth
Wisconsin #397 2,192 1995 Insufficient historical volume
Alabama #201 2,008 1997 +3.7% Growth
Arizona #313 1,323 1996 Insufficient historical volume
New Hampshire Unranked 339 1995 Insufficient historical volume
Georgia #248 3,014 1996 +11.1% Growth
Florida #373 3,653 1995 14.8% Decline
Montana Unranked 308 1996 Insufficient historical volume
Michigan #259 3,672 1995 +30.0% Growth
New Mexico Unranked 505 1995 Insufficient historical volume
Nebraska Unranked 685 1994 Insufficient historical volume
Louisiana #192 1,615 1997 6.9% Decline
Mississippi #166 1,120 1996 Insufficient historical volume
Texas #346 6,361 1995 +20.9% Growth
South Carolina #180 1,159 1997 Insufficient historical volume
Pennsylvania #326 3,865 1996 +36.0% Growth
Minnesota #485 1,263 1997 Insufficient historical volume
Illinois #329 3,152 1995 +26.9% Growth
Maryland #347 883 1998 Insufficient historical volume
South Dakota #231 192 1993 Insufficient historical volume
Delaware #176 111 1995 Insufficient historical volume
Hawaii #227 144 1994 Insufficient historical volume
California #525 4,488 1995 +11.3% Growth
North Dakota #206 144 1992 Insufficient historical volume
New York #666 2,670 1995 Insufficient historical volume
Connecticut #335 312 1996 Insufficient historical volume
Massachusetts #442 547 1995 Insufficient historical volume
New Jersey #582 577 1995 Insufficient historical volume
Rhode Island Unranked 45 1995 Insufficient historical volume

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πŸ‘¦ Top Boy Names β†’ 3-Syllable Names β†’ 6-Letter Names β†’ More Modern Trend Names β†’ Other Origin Names β†’ Nature Names β†’ Names Starting With D β†’ Names Peaking in 1995 β†’ πŸ—ΊοΈ Regional State Data β†’