American · unisex

Dakota

A distinctive name with a calm, steady presence.

Rank 2024

#273

Trend

stable

Band

balanced

Styles

classic · unisex

Meaning

Friend or ally, from the Sioux

Dakota is a balanced unisex name with American roots. In 2024, 1,155 newborns in the U.S. were given the name — ranking it #273 nationally, and its popularity has held steady in recent years. Its style leans classic, unisex — tags you can match against your partner's picks in the combiner.

classicunisex

About American names

American naming has always been inventive. It gave the world surname-first-names like Madison and Harper, place names like Savannah and Dakota, and freshly built coinages that follow the sounds of the moment. Without centuries of fixed custom to answer to, American names tend to prize individuality — a tradition, in its own way, of not being too bound by tradition.

Meaning and origin are editorial; U.S. popularity comes from Social Security Administration public files.

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