How to say it
da · KO · ta
/dəˈkoʊ.tə/
Unisex
Dakota
Friend, ally
What it means
From the Dakota people of the Sioux nation, whose name means 'friend' or 'ally.'
Dakota comes from the Dakota, one of the peoples of the Sioux nation, whose own name means 'friend' or 'ally.' It also names the two US states. As a given name it took off in the 1990s as a genuinely unisex choice, worn by Dakota Fanning and Dakota Johnson on the one side and plenty of boys on the other. It reads open, American, and a touch frontier. Kota and Cody serve as shorts.
Popularity over time
Feminine: peaked at #190 in 2006, currently #296 in 2025.
Masculine: peaked at #56 in 1995, currently #319 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Worth knowing
Genuinely unisex; the two state names and the 'ally' meaning are the touchstones.
- Nickname
Kota is the natural short.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Dakota Fanning American actress
- Dakota Johnson American actress
Spelling variants
- Dakotah
- Dacota
Names with the same feeling
See Dakota from another angle
By style