Dakotah
Dakotah was the 4090th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 35 babies. Its best year was 1995, when it ranked 1736th; the most babies were born in 2010 (88). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,609 places. More babies were named Dakotah in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Dakota) ally, friend (Dakota/Sioux) · Dakota
- Rank in 2025
- #4,090 girls, down 989 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 35girls
- Girls and boys
- 70% girls, 30% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 201088 babies
- Total since 1880
- 5,465babies recorded
What does the name Dakotah mean?
Dakotah is a spelling of Dakota, pronounced the same way, so it shares Dakota's meaning and origin.
Dakota is the name of a Sioux people of the northern plains and their language, and later of two US states. Wiktionary derives it from Dakota dakhóta, "ally" or "friend". As a given name it was taken from the place and people names in the 20th century and is used for both boys and girls. The ethnic name is the source; the given name has no separate meaning.
dakhóta (Dakota, “ally, friend”)
How sure is this? Probable. The 'ally' meaning of the ethnonym is the standard explanation given by Wiktionary; needs a Siouan-language dictionary check.
See also: names that mean love.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Dakota', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Dakota', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Dakotah popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,090 | #3,969 | 35 | 27 |
| 2020 | #3,101 | #4,303 | 51 | 23 |
| 2010 | #2,204 | #2,691 | 88 | 45 |
| 2000 | #2,746 | #1,131 | 53 | 123 |
| 1990 | #2,815 | #1,307 | 41 | 72 |
| 1980 | — | #4,584 | — | 8 |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Dakotah, counting every spelling?
Dakotah is a spelling of Dakota, a name family that ranked #307 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,090 for Dakotah on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,070 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota | 1,035 | #296 | 5,759 |
| Dakotah | 35 | #4,090 | 251 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Dakotah?
35 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Dakotah (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Dakotah born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 240 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Dakotah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Dakotah?
About 2,300 people born in the US named Dakotah are alive today, with a median age of 20; half are between 11 and 29. That makes Dakotah mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Dakotah by state
How common Dakotah was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 45 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Dakotah: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Dakotah, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Dakotah
What does Dakotah mean?
Dakotah is a spelling of Dakota, which means “ally, friend (Dakota/Sioux)” (Dakota origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Dakotah?
Dakotah was the 4090th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 35 babies. Its best year was 1995, when it ranked 1736th; the most babies were born in 2010 (88). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,609 places. More babies were named Dakotah in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Dakotah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 70% girls, 30% boys given the name Dakotah in the US.
Where is Dakotah most popular?
In 2021–2025, Dakotah was most common in Minnesota (0.07 per 1,000 girls), followed by Virginia and Indiana.