Dakota
2025 SSA
2025 SSA
About Dakota
An early and still one of the most popular unisex names, also a place name and name of a Native American people in the northern Mississippi valley, which makes it a controversial baby name choice. While the popularity of Dakota is trending downward for both genders, it's one of those rare genuinely gender-neutral names that is used for nearly equal numbers of boys and girls.
Dakota for girls#296 US
A Native American tribe name which is found in the names of two US states, Dakota was one of the first trendy nineties place names, but is now flagging a little in popularity. The cultural question around using a Native American tribe name as a baby name may be partly to blame.
Young actress Dakota Fanning helped give it a feminine spin; Rosie O'Donnell chose it for her newborn daughter. Interestingly, Dakota is one of those rare trulyunisex baby names used for almost exactly equal numbers of girls and boys.
Pronounced dah-KO-tah.
As of October 2026, Dakota ranked #319 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #56 in 1995.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #358 | 893 | #283 | 1,149 |
| 2015 | #356 | 942 | #242 | 1,333 |
| 2016 | #376 | 874 | #227 | 1,417 |
| 2017 | #340 | 999 | #231 | 1,360 |
| 2018 | #351 | 942 | #246 | 1,321 |
| 2019 | #344 | 973 | #258 | 1,269 |
| 2020 | #348 | 918 | #257 | 1,174 |
| 2021 | #343 | 954 | #270 | 1,162 |
| 2022 | #349 | 941 | #258 | 1,209 |
| 2023 | #328 | 1,014 | #262 | 1,189 |
| 2024 | #328 | 1,053 | #272 | 1,155 |
| 2025 | #319 | 1,074 | #296 | 1,035 |
World rankings
Dakota for boys
Dakota for girls
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Dakota on lists
Famous Dakotas
- Dakota Avery GoyoBoy
Canadian Actor
- Dakota BradleyBoy
American country music singer
- Dakota ServoldBoy
American skateboarder
- Dakota CochraneBoy
American mixed martial artist
- Dakota Ryan HudsonBoy
American baseball player
- Rayne Dakota "Dak" PrescottBoy
American football player
- Dakota LohanBoy
brother of actress Lindsay Lohan
- Dakota Starblanket "Cody" WolfchildBoy
son of singer Buffy Sainte,Marie and Sheldon Wolfchild
- Dakota CastilloBoy
Smith, son of NFL player Tody Smith
- Dakota Lee MartinezBoy
son of actor A Martinez
- Dakota Paul BrinkmanBoy
son of actress Melissa Gilbert
- Dakota ChapmanBoy
son of bounty hunter/TV personality Leland Chapman
- Dakota Jefferson Holiday Alphin (b. 2010)Boy
son of singer Big Kenny
- William Dakota EdwardsBoy
son of model/actress Angela Lindvall and William Edwards
- Dakota Song CulkinBoy
son of actor Macaulay Culkin and actress Brenda Song
- Dakota Ulissa CulkinBoth
sister of actor Macaulay Culkin
- (Hannah) Dakota FanningGirl
American actress
- Dakota JohnsonGirl
American actress; daughter of actor Don Johnson
- Dakota StatonGirl
American jazz singer
- Dakota Blue RichardsGirl
British actress
- Dakota O'DonnellGirl
daughter of Rosie O'Donnell and Michelle Rounds
- Dakota RunnelsGirl
daughter of pro wrestlers Dustin and Terri Runnels
- Dakota Woodside (b. 2009)Girl
daughter of actors D.B. Woodside and Golden Brooks
Dakota in pop culture
- North DakotaGirl
American state
- South DakotaGirl
American state
- Dakota WhitneyGirl
character from"The X Files: I Want to Believe"
- DakotaGirl
song from pop punk band A Rocket to the Moon
- Dakota CondorGirl
character from tv show "Sonny with a Chance"
- Dakota MiltonGirl
character from tv show "Total Drama: Revenge of the Island"