Dakota

#295 for girls in 2025, 1,035 births · #319 for boys in 2025, 1,074 births
Given to boys 69.2% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1995 · 6,575 births
Debut · boys
5 births
In top 100 · boys
9 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
93,118
since 1966

Dakota over time

girlsboys

Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020202008peak #190, 2006peak #56, 1995girlsboys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#2951,035#3191,074
2024#2731,160#3261,060
2023#2621,191#3281,017
2022#2591,210#347945
2021#2701,163#339958
2020#2571,175#346920
2019#2591,269#344973
2018#2461,322#349944
2017#2311,362#3401,000
2016#2271,417#376874
2015#2421,334#356943
2014#2831,149#357894
2013#2931,089#350905
2012#3071,039#328961
2011#2941,068#3121,031
2010#2851,142#2921,142
2009#2741,198#2511,387
2008#2661,288#2261,645
2007#2391,486#2021,962
2006#1901,839#1722,367
2005#2251,515#1472,722
2004#2771,180#1372,918
2003#339917#1263,160
2002#323952#1073,487
2001#330943#933,980
2000#2961,086#884,553
1999#2691,167#775,093
1998#2461,242#725,401
1997#2501,175#665,664
1996#2741,055#586,067
1995#2521,125#566,575
1994#305895#695,535
1993#355724#854,411
1992#346752#1033,613
1991#400636#1212,739
1990#596380#1951,551
1989#1,048163#296824
1988#1,40999#363554
1987#1,59178#421430
1986#1,63872#488320
1985#1,80962#866109
1984#3,99019#1,17460
1983#4,68615#1,32749
1982#5,20913#1,48742
1981#4,00519#1,89929
1980#3,31825#1,52440
1979#3,77720#1,67034
1978#4,45915#1,20355
1977#4,65214#2,13122
1976#5,21511#2,60116
1975#4,85412#2,75114
1974#6,2588#3,8378
1973#4,87111#3,4459
1972#7,2926#2,65913
1971#6,0068—
1970—#3,2829
1969——
1968—#4,1365
1967——
1966#4,8668#3,9485
1965#4,4949—
1964#6,0096—
1963#6,5925—
1962#4,5339—
1961#3,60813—
1960#3,51213—
1959#2,59620—
1958#3,74711—
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First appearance
1966

The first year at least five boys were named Dakota! It came in at #3,948, and was given to 5 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1966–1969, when fewer than 6 boys a year got the name.

Where Dakota is popular in 2008

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #179 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 585 boysAKMaine: #110 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 392 boysMEVermont: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: #215 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 1,056 boysNHWashington: #231 for boys · 36 births · 1 in 1,035 boysWAIdaho: #162 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 575 boysIDMontana: #135 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 422 boysMTNorth Dakota: #189 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 698 boysNDMinnesota: #305 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 1,657 boysMNIllinois: #344 for boys · 39 births · 1 in 1,917 boysILWisconsin: #156 for boys · 43 births · 1 in 683 boysWIMichigan: #155 for boys · 71 births · 1 in 724 boysMINew York: #387 for boys · 44 births · 1 in 2,480 boysNYMassachusetts: #679 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 6,404 boysMARhode Island: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedRIOregon: #181 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 694 boysORNevada: #244 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 1,078 boysNVWyoming: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: #218 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 834 boysSDIowa: #163 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 610 boysIAIndiana: #154 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 649 boysINOhio: #142 for boys · 93 births · 1 in 693 boysOHPennsylvania: #185 for boys · 66 births · 1 in 968 boysPANew Jersey: #598 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 4,559 boysNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #621 for boys · 44 births · 1 in 5,777 boysCAUtah: #317 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 1,482 boysUTColorado: #255 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 1,141 boysCONebraska: #191 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 738 boysNEMissouri: #109 for boys · 80 births · 1 in 431 boysMOKentucky: #114 for boys · 56 births · 1 in 422 boysKYWest Virginia: #72 for boys · 39 births · 1 in 222 boysWVVirginia: #167 for boys · 54 births · 1 in 796 boysVAMaryland: #336 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 1,994 boysMDDelaware: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedDEArizona: #364 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 2,170 boysAZNew Mexico: #237 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 1,014 boysNMKansas: #206 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 846 boysKSArkansas: #90 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 317 boysARTennessee: #146 for boys · 60 births · 1 in 629 boysTNNorth Carolina: #155 for boys · 80 births · 1 in 696 boysNCSouth Carolina: #170 for boys · 30 births · 1 in 767 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #115 for boys · 49 births · 1 in 437 boysOKLouisiana: #168 for boys · 35 births · 1 in 719 boysLAMississippi: #121 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 507 boysMSAlabama: #117 for boys · 54 births · 1 in 465 boysALGeorgia: #214 for boys · 58 births · 1 in 1,055 boysGAHawaii: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedHITexas: #324 for boys · 102 births · 1 in 1,855 boysTXFlorida: #250 for boys · 74 births · 1 in 1,358 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. West Virginia#72 · 1 in 222
  2. Arkansas#90 · 1 in 317
  3. Missouri#109 · 1 in 431
  4. Maine#110 · 1 in 392
  5. Kentucky#114 · 1 in 422

Best ever in a state: #15 in Oklahoma, 1997.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
West Virginia#72391 in 222
Arkansas#90481 in 317
Missouri#109801 in 431
Maine#110131 in 392
Kentucky#114561 in 422
Oklahoma#115491 in 437
Alabama#117541 in 465
Mississippi#121311 in 507
Montana#135101 in 422
Ohio#142931 in 693
Tennessee#146601 in 629
Indiana#154591 in 649
Michigan#155711 in 724
North Carolina#155801 in 696
Wisconsin#156431 in 683
Idaho#162161 in 575
Iowa#163271 in 610
Virginia#167541 in 796
Louisiana#168351 in 719
South Carolina#170301 in 767
Alaska#17961 in 585
Oregon#181291 in 694
Pennsylvania#185661 in 968
North Dakota#18951 in 698
Nebraska#191141 in 738
Kansas#206201 in 846
Georgia#214581 in 1,055
New Hampshire#21551 in 1,056
South Dakota#21851 in 834
Washington#231361 in 1,035
New Mexico#237111 in 1,014
Nevada#244141 in 1,078
Florida#250741 in 1,358
Colorado#255261 in 1,141
Minnesota#305181 in 1,657
Utah#317161 in 1,482
Texas#3241021 in 1,855
Maryland#336151 in 1,994
Illinois#344391 in 1,917
Arizona#364201 in 2,170
New York#387441 in 2,480
New Jersey#598101 in 4,559
California#621441 in 5,777
Massachusetts#67951 in 6,404
Connecticut———
Delaware———
District of Columbia———
Hawaii———
Rhode Island———
Vermont———
Wyoming———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Dakota
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 7 spots since 2024 (#326 → #319)
  • 27 spots since 2020 (#346 → #319)
  • 37 spots since 2015 (#356 → #319)
  • Biggest jump: 378 spots in 1986 (#866 → #488)
  • Biggest drop: 41 spots in 2010 (#251 → #292)
Rise & fade · boys
29 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1966
  • Peaked 1995 at #56 (6,575 births)
  • Births halved by 2003, 8 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 9 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 9 yrs · run 1993–2001
  • Top 1,000: 41 yrs · run 1985–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 290
  • Highest: 1 in 290 boys born in 1995 were named Dakota (0.35%)
  • Latest: 1 in 1,590 boys born in 2025 (0.06%)
Era · boys
The 1990s
  • 50.1% of all boys named Dakota (46,649) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Flipped in 2025
  • Mostly girls until 2024, mostly boys since
all girlsall boys
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1960s10#3,948 (1966)#4,042
1970s180#1,203 (1978)#2,620
1980s2,457#296 (1989)#985
1990s46,649#56 (1995)#90
2000s28,181#88 (2000)#155
2010s9,667#292 (2010)#340
2020s5,974#319 (2025)#334

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Dakota in 2008

girls
#266
1,288 births · 1 in 1,468 girls
boys
#226
1,645 births · 1 in 1,240 boys

Top girls' names in 2008

  1. #1Emma18,830
  2. #2Isabella18,629
  3. #3Emily17,448
  4. #4Olivia17,088
  5. #5Ava17,051
  6. #6Madison17,047
  7. #7Sophia16,091
  8. #8Abigail15,088
  9. #9Elizabeth12,027
  10. #10Chloe11,836
  11. #266Dakota1,288

Top boys' names in 2008

  1. #1Jacob22,621
  2. #2Michael20,652
  3. #3Ethan20,223
  4. #4Joshua19,231
  5. #5Daniel19,032
  6. #6Alexander18,711
  7. #7Anthony18,417
  8. #8William18,403
  9. #9Christopher17,966
  10. #10Matthew17,604
  11. #226Dakota1,645
More about 2008

girls

1,890,938 girls got a published name in 2008; 1 in 1,468 of them was named Dakota, which outranked 98.7% of the 20,482 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 8.5% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dakota
  1. #263Jamie1,308
  2. #264Valentina1,292
  3. #265Ryleigh1,289
  4. #266Dakota1,288
  5. #267Esther1,282
  6. #268Allyson1,275
  7. #269Kamryn1,271
Biggest movers since 2007
Risers
  1. ↑ 9,375Dayami#10,129 → #754
  2. ↑ 4,524Allisson#4,944 → #420
  3. ↑ 1,019Alisson#1,804 → #785
  4. ↑ 851Milagros#1,579 → #728
  5. ↑ 807Mareli#1,530 → #723
Fallers
  1. ↓ 391Kelis#968 → #1,359
  2. ↓ 390Joselin#755 → #1,145
  3. ↓ 378Tyra#947 → #1,325
  4. ↓ 363Montana#932 → #1,295
  5. ↓ 337Allyssa#988 → #1,325

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

2,040,150 boys got a published name in 2008; 1 in 1,240 of them was named Dakota, which outranked 98.5% of the 14,625 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 9.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dakota
  1. #223Keegan1,683
  2. #224Marco1,678
  3. #225Sawyer1,674
  4. #226Dakota1,645
  5. #227Calvin1,630
  6. #228Leo1,628
  7. #229Kai1,609
Biggest movers since 2007
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,801Urijah#3,687 → #886
  2. ↑ 1,035Jadiel#1,912 → #877
  3. ↑ 790Aaden#1,132 → #342
  4. ↑ 676Chace#1,337 → #661
  5. ↑ 500Marley#1,263 → #763
Fallers
  1. ↓ 688Kelan#977 → #1,665
  2. ↓ 286Talen#990 → #1,276
  3. ↓ 281Nery#901 → #1,182
  4. ↓ 250Kellan#883 → #1,133
  5. ↓ 250Efren#977 → #1,227

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 2008 →