Lakota
Feminine · “allies”
Lakota is given to both — 1,689 girls and 1,556 boys since 1880. See Lakota as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Lakota is the name of a people and of their language, and it means allies — the word the Lakota use for themselves and for the bond that holds their nation together.
How old is the name Lakota?
Lakota first appears in US birth records in 1983 — 42 years ago. The typical Lakota alive today was born around 2006, making them about 19 years old. About 1,700 people named Lakota are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Lakota most popular?
Lakota peaked in 1997, reaching #1845 nationally. Today it ranks #3645, 1,800 places below that high. See the whole 1997 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Lakota
Lakota is what the westernmost of the Sioux nations call themselves and their language, which is still spoken today and taught in schools on and off the reservations. The word describes a relationship rather than a territory. Its use as an American given name is recent and belongs with Dakota and Cheyenne — a practice that many Lakota people have views about, and that a family choosing the name should be aware of.
Meaning
allies, those who are friendly
From the Lakota word for an ally or a friend; the same root gives Dakota and Nakota, the three dialect names of the Sioux nations, and the sense is of a people bound to one another rather than a place.
Pronouncing Lakota
luh-KOH-tah
Three syllables with the stress in the middle. Lakota speakers give it a slightly different rhythm.
Nicknames for Lakota
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
- 1983
- Most girls named
- 199780 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1845reached in 1997
- Change vs 2024
- +57.7%41 in 2025, from 26
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.
Lakota in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Dakota in Dakota — related form
- Nakota in Nakota — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri.
Lakotas among us
people named Lakota are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 39,202 born in 2025 was named Lakota
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 Laretta test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Lakota's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Laretta climbed just as high around 1937, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Laretta's path sketches the road Lakota is walking now.
Lakota 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
Where Lakota is headed
Lakota should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Lakota beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Lakota in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning that names a relationship rather than a place, which is unusual and good.
- It belongs to a living language with active speakers and teaching programs.
- Kota is a usable short form with its own life.
- It is the name of a living people, and using it as a personal name is something many Lakota have strong views about.
- It is used for both sexes, so forms may guess wrong.
- Naming a child for a nation invites a question about family connection that has a real answer or does not.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Lakota
Feminine · #3645 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Lakotas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,700 people named Lakota are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Lakota in 2025?
- Lakota ranks #3645 among US girl names in 2025, with 41 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Lakota?
- About 1 in every 39,202 US girls born in 2025 was named Lakota — 41 in all.
- Will my child share the name Lakota with classmates?
- Lakota will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Lakota
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Elenor#3645 · Azucena#3645 · Alaura#3645 · Judah#3645 · Rylen#3645 · Zamiyah#3645 · Naiara#3645 · Marietta#3645
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Lakota? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Lakota and another name?
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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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