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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020202021peak #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 2021

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #159 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 427 boysAKMaine: #202 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 677 boysMEVermont: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedNHWashington: #546 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 2,783 boysWAIdaho: #310 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 1,145 boysIDMontana: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedNDMinnesota: #340 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 1,479 boysMNIllinois: #515 for boys · 19 births · 1 in 2,837 boysILWisconsin: #346 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 1,520 boysWIMichigan: #305 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 1,343 boysMINew York: #755 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 4,952 boysNYMassachusetts: #538 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 3,565 boysMARhode Island: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedRIOregon: #251 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 935 boysORNevada: #445 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 1,976 boysNVWyoming: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: #256 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 755 boysSDIowa: #355 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 1,406 boysIAIndiana: #277 for boys · 28 births · 1 in 1,170 boysINOhio: #280 for boys · 43 births · 1 in 1,261 boysOHPennsylvania: #287 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 1,353 boysPANew Jersey: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #562 for boys · 53 births · 1 in 3,573 boysCAUtah: #361 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 1,477 boysUTColorado: #513 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 2,583 boysCONebraska: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedNEMissouri: #230 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 921 boysMOKentucky: #199 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 764 boysKYWest Virginia: #225 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 780 boysWVVirginia: #280 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 1,222 boysVAMaryland: #371 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 1,782 boysMDDelaware: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedDEArizona: #415 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 1,919 boysAZNew Mexico: #243 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 780 boysNMKansas: #350 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 1,381 boysKSArkansas: #183 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 650 boysARTennessee: #252 for boys · 35 births · 1 in 1,024 boysTNNorth Carolina: #265 for boys · 45 births · 1 in 1,134 boysNCSouth Carolina: #293 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 1,192 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #163 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 579 boysOKLouisiana: #258 for boys · 22 births · 1 in 988 boysLAMississippi: #165 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 599 boysMSAlabama: #228 for boys · 25 births · 1 in 881 boysALGeorgia: #211 for boys · 57 births · 1 in 884 boysGAHawaii: fewer than 5 boys named Dakota, so not publishedHITexas: #370 for boys · 92 births · 1 in 1,860 boysTXFlorida: #352 for boys · 53 births · 1 in 1,750 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Alaska#159 · 1 in 427
  2. Oklahoma#163 · 1 in 579
  3. Mississippi#165 · 1 in 599
  4. Arkansas#183 · 1 in 650
  5. Kentucky#199 · 1 in 764

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Alaska#15961 in 427
Oklahoma#163311 in 579
Mississippi#165201 in 599
Arkansas#183201 in 650
Kentucky#199261 in 764
Maine#20261 in 677
Georgia#211571 in 884
West Virginia#22591 in 780
Alabama#228251 in 881
Missouri#230311 in 921
New Mexico#24391 in 780
Oregon#251171 in 935
Tennessee#252351 in 1,024
South Dakota#25651 in 755
Louisiana#258221 in 988
North Carolina#265451 in 1,134
Indiana#277281 in 1,170
Ohio#280431 in 1,261
Virginia#280321 in 1,222
Pennsylvania#287411 in 1,353
South Carolina#293171 in 1,192
Michigan#305321 in 1,343
Idaho#31071 in 1,145
Minnesota#340171 in 1,479
Wisconsin#346161 in 1,520
Kansas#350101 in 1,381
Florida#352531 in 1,750
Iowa#355101 in 1,406
Utah#361131 in 1,477
Texas#370921 in 1,860
Maryland#371141 in 1,782
Arizona#415171 in 1,919
Nevada#44561 in 1,976
Colorado#513101 in 2,583
Illinois#515191 in 2,837
Massachusetts#53881 in 3,565
Washington#546121 in 2,783
California#562531 in 3,573
New York#755181 in 4,952
Connecticut———
Delaware———
District of Columbia———
Hawaii———
Montana———
Nebraska———
New Hampshire———
New Jersey———
North Dakota———
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 2021

girls
#270
1,163 births · 1 in 1,411 girls
boys
#339
958 births · 1 in 1,826 boys

Top girls' names in 2021

  1. #1Olivia17,847
  2. #2Emma15,549
  3. #3Charlotte13,368
  4. #4Amelia13,041
  5. #5Ava12,873
  6. #6Sophia12,585
  7. #7Isabella11,309
  8. #8Mia11,177
  9. #9Evelyn9,495
  10. #10Harper8,448
  11. #270Dakota1,163

Top boys' names in 2021

  1. #1Liam20,424
  2. #2Noah18,919
  3. #3Oliver14,713
  4. #4Elijah12,845
  5. #5James12,474
  6. #6William12,170
  7. #7Benjamin11,895
  8. #8Lucas11,584
  9. #9Henry11,370
  10. #10Theodore9,600
  11. #339Dakota958
More about 2021

girls

1,640,861 girls got a published name in 2021; 1 in 1,411 of them was named Dakota, which outranked 98.5% of the 17,676 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 7.7% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dakota
  1. #267Payton1,168
  2. #268Lilith1,165
  3. #269Delaney1,164
  4. #270Dakota1,163
  5. #271Mya1,159
  6. #272Charlee1,153
  7. #273Trinity1,149
Biggest movers since 2020
Risers
  1. ↑ 437Raya#932 → #495
  2. ↑ 396Wrenley#893 → #497
  3. ↑ 298Angelique#1,173 → #875
  4. ↑ 283Emberlynn#1,241 → #958
  5. ↑ 276Flora#924 → #648
Fallers
  1. ↓ 475Denisse#852 → #1,327
  2. ↓ 347Denise#876 → #1,223
  3. ↓ 267Karen#821 → #1,088
  4. ↓ 227Keily#854 → #1,081
  5. ↓ 227Nathalie#911 → #1,138

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

boys

1,749,482 boys got a published name in 2021; 1 in 1,826 of them was named Dakota, which outranked 97.6% of the 14,096 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 7.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dakota
  1. #336Ezequiel971
  2. #337Jake969
  3. #338Cade961
  4. #339Dakota958
  5. #339Ali958
  6. #339Rylan958
  7. #339Stephen958
  8. #343Ari957
  9. #344Kameron949
  10. #345Ricardo946

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 2020
Risers
  1. ↑ 536Amiri#1,295 → #759
  2. ↑ 438Eliam#1,177 → #739
  3. ↑ 343Colter#972 → #629
  4. ↑ 333Ozzy#1,046 → #713
  5. ↑ 299Loyal#1,053 → #754
Fallers
  1. ↓ 352Jaxtyn#585 → #937
  2. ↓ 259Karsyn#698 → #957
  3. ↓ 231Xzavier#976 → #1,207
  4. ↓ 208Tristen#846 → #1,054
  5. ↓ 208Willie#992 → #1,200

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

See the top 100 for 2021 →