Dakoda
Feminine · “Dakota "friend”
Dakoda is given to both — 904 girls and 3,356 boys since 1880. See Dakoda as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Dakota is what the people call themselves, and it means allies. That is worth stating because so many tribal names in English are not autonyms at all but words supplied by neighbors or enemies — Sioux itself comes into English through French from an Ojibwe word.
How old is the name Dakoda?
Dakoda first appears in US birth records in 1991 — 34 years ago. The typical Dakoda alive today was born around 2009, making them about 16 years old. About 900 people named Dakoda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Dakoda most popular?
Dakoda peaked in 2006, reaching #2887 nationally. Today it ranks #7491, 4,604 places below that high. See the whole 2006 chart.
Where it comes from
From Dakȟóta to Dakoda
The story of Dakoda
The difference between an autonym, what a people call themselves, and an exonym, what others call them, runs through the map of North America and much of the world. Inuit means the people; Eskimo came from a neighboring language. Diné means the people; Navajo came through Spanish from a Tewa word. Deutsch is an autonym; German, Allemand and Nemets are three unrelated exonyms for the same country. Dakota is an autonym that entered English intact, became the name of two states in 1889, and from there became a given name in the 1980s and 1990s for both sexes. The Dakoda spelling peaks in 2006.
Meaning
Dakota "friend, ally"
From Dakȟóta in the Dakota language, meaning friend or ally, and used by the eastern division of the people now often called Sioux; the related Lakota and Nakota forms are dialect variants of the same word. Sioux entered English through Canadian French from an Ojibwe term, and is an exonym rather than a self-designation. Dakoda is an American respelling of the place and people name; the ending carries no meaning.
How the name formed
- Dakȟóta
- Dakota
- Dakoda
Related forms: Dakota · Lakȟóta
Pronouncing Dakoda
duh-KOH-tah
Three syllables, stress on the second. The Dakota language marks the k with aspiration and places a high tone on the second syllable, neither of which English reproduces.
Nicknames for Dakoda
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1991
- Most girls named
- 200660 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2887reached in 2006
- Change vs 2024
- −48.1%14 in 2025, from 27
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Dakoda in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Dakota in English — spelling variant
- Lakȟóta in Lakota — related form
Dakodas among us
people named Dakoda are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 114,805 born in 2025 was named Dakoda
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Parisa test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Dakoda's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Parisa climbed just as high around 1991, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Parisa's path sketches the road Dakoda is walking now.
Dakoda sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Dakoda beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Dakoda in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is settled, documented and unusually warm: ally.
- Kota is a natural short form that stands alone.
- It is read correctly on sight and works for either sex.
- Dakota is the standard spelling and will be substituted constantly.
- It is a living people's self-designation, which some families weigh carefully.
- It reads as unisex, so the sex is not signaled by the name.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Dakoda to the vote.
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What they receive
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Dakoda
Feminine · #7491 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Dakodas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 900 people named Dakoda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Dakoda in 2025?
- Dakoda ranks #7491 among US girl names in 2025, with 14 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Dakoda?
- About 1 in every 114,805 US girls born in 2025 was named Dakoda — 14 in all.
- Will my child share the name Dakoda with classmates?
- Dakoda will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Dakoda
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Christie#7491 · Carmelita#7491 · Jetta#7491 · Hildegard#7491 · Rickie#7491 · Billy#7491 · Angelyn#7491 · Jewell#7491
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Dakoda? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Dakoda and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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