How Many People Are Named Dakota?
Complete statistics for the name Dakota in the United States — including rarity score, gender breakdown, age distribution, historical popularity, and state data.
Data last updated: 2025 SSA records
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Normalized logarithmic scale (0–100)
male
Population Share
How Many People Have the Name Dakota in the US?
Based on Social Security Administration birth records and age-adjusted survival modeling, approximately 132,430 people in the United States currently share the name Dakota. That works out to roughly 1 in every 2,492 Americans, placing it in the Rare category among all names tracked in US records. For context on where this falls on the full spectrum, see the name rarity guide.
Is Dakota a Common or Rare Name?
Dakota is classified as Rare when scored against the entire US population. Our rarity scale runs from Very Common (top names shared by millions) through Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Very Rare. Understanding where a name sits helps parents gauge uniqueness when choosing a baby name, genealogists narrow down records, and curious individuals settle debates about their own identity.
What Does the Name Dakota Mean?
The meaning, language of origin, cultural and religious background for Dakota are covered in full on the Dakota name meaning & origin page. For a broader look at thousands of names, browse the name meaning directory.
Gender Breakdown: Is Dakota Male or Female?
Of all recorded bearers of Dakota in SSA data, approximately 69% are male and 31% are female. Dakota leans male but is used by both genders. See our guide to gender-neutral names for more on how naming norms evolve.
When Was Dakota Most Popular?
The name Dakota reached peak popularity in 1995, with 6,575 babies registered that year. Our article on 2025 baby name trends explores these forces in detail.
Where Is Dakota Most Common in the US?
The state-by-state breakdown above shows estimated bearer counts for Dakota across all 50 states. Highly populous states like California, Texas, and New York naturally show higher counts for almost every name simply due to population size.
How Is This Data Calculated?
All figures on this page are statistical estimates, not exact government headcounts. The underlying data comes from the SSA National Baby Names dataset. Full methodology is explained on the methodology page.
How many people are named Dakota?
Approximately 132,430 people in the United States share the name Dakota, based on SSA birth records and age-adjusted survival modeling.
Is Dakota a rare name?
Dakota is classified as Rare in the United States. Approximately 1 in every 2,492 Americans has this name.
What does the name Dakota mean?
The meaning and origin of Dakota is displayed in the Name Meaning and Origin section at the top of this page. Browse the name meaning directory at https://howmanyofme.site/name-meaning/ for more names.
Is Dakota more male or female?
Based on SSA records, 69% of people named Dakota are male and 31% are female. The predicted gender is Male.
When was Dakota most popular?
The name Dakota reached its peak in 1995, with 6,575 registrations that year.
Are these statistics exact?
No. All figures are statistical estimates based on SSA birth records and age-adjusted modeling. Exact real-time name counts are not publicly available. See the methodology page at https://howmanyofme.site/methodology/ for full details.