What Does the Name Dakota Mean?

Dakota is a unisex name of Native American (Dakota/Sioux) origin meaning “friend, ally.”

Updated June 2026

Name	Dakota
Gender	unisex
Origin	Native American (Dakota/Sioux)
Meaning	friend, ally
Variants	Dakotah, Dacotah, Dakhota
Popularity	Peaked for both boys and girls in the 1990s; remains in moderate use in the US, somewhat more common for girls in recent years.

The meaning and origin of Dakota

The name Dakota means “friend, ally” and has Native American (Dakota/Sioux) origins. From the name of the Dakota people of the Sioux nation, whose autonym means 'friend' or 'ally.' Used as a given name for both sexes, it also evokes the American states named for the tribe.

Variants and related names

Dakota is related to several other names you may recognize: Dakotah, Dacotah, Dakhota. These share a common root or are spelling and language variants of the same name.

How popular is the name Dakota?

Peaked for both boys and girls in the 1990s; remains in moderate use in the US, somewhat more common for girls in recent years.

Popularity matters when you need believable test data: a name that fits the era or region you are modeling makes a generated profile look real. You can generate a complete fictional profile using the name Dakota below.

Generate a fake Dakota profile

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