Dakota (given name)

Dakota is a unisex given name derived from the name of an indigenous Native American tribe: Dakota people or from the name of two states in the United States: North Dakota and South Dakota which are also derived from the Dakota people local to that area. The name is translated to mean "friend", "friendly" or "allies" in the Yankton-Yanktonai and Santee dialects of the Lakota Sioux language.^[1][2]

The Dakotas

Popularity

The name has been in occasional use for both sexes in the United States since at least the 1940s. The name's popularity grew in the 1990s in the US. It was in the top 100 most popular boy names from 1993 to 2001, reaching its peak at number 56 in 1995.^[3] Since 2010, it is slightly more frequently given to girls. As of 2016, it was the 233rd most common girl name and the 344th most common boy name.^[4]

People with the name

• Dakota Abberton, Australian surfer
• Dakota Darsow (born 1987), American professional wrestler
• Dakota Fanning (born 1994), American actress
• Dakota Floeter (born 1994), American actor and musician
• Dakota Goyo (born 1999), Canadian actor
• Dakota Johnson (born 1989), American model and actress
• Dakota Lane, American author
• Dakota Meyer, United States Marine and Medal of Honor recipient
• Dakota Morton (born 1988), Canadian radio host
• Dakota North (speedway rider) (born 1991), Australian speedway rider
• Dakota Prescott (born 1993), American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys
• Dakota Blue Richards (born 1994), English actress
• Dakota Staton (1930–2007), American jazz singer
• Dakota Kai (born 1988), Australian professional wrestler

Notes