How Many People Are Named Dakota?
An estimated 130,080 people in the United States have the first name Dakota. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #414 overall. It is used for both genders, with 69.5% male. The average bearer is 23 years old, and Dakota peaked in popularity in 1995 with 7,700 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Dakota as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Dakota paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
130,080
About 1 in 2,635 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
69.5% confidence
Average Age
23
years old
Peak Year
1995
7,700 births
Total Registered
132,430
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Dakota
Dakota is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (69.5%) and females (30.5%). Out of 132,430 total births registered, 92,020 were male and 40,410 were female.
Dakota as a male name
Ranked #328 in 2024
1,053 male births in 2024
Peak: 1995 (6,575 births)
Dakota as a female name
Ranked #272 in 2024
1,155 female births in 2024
Peak: 2006 (1,839 births)
Dakota: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Dakota span from the 1910s to the 2020s, covering 10 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1990s, when 55,802 babies were registered. Dakota has declined significantly from its peak in the 1990s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Dakota by Decade
How has Dakota tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Dakota by State
Birth registrations for Dakota span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, California, Ohio. The lowest are in Rhode Island, District of Columbia, Hawaii. On average, about 2,550 Dakotas were registered per state.
Dakota + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Dakota as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Dakota
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
Dakota: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dakota?
We estimate approximately 130,080 people named Dakota are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 2,635 Americans share this first name.
Is Dakota a common name?
Dakota is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 132,430 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Dakota most popular?
Dakota reached peak popularity in 1995, when 7,700 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Dakota is approximately 23 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Dakota a male name?
Dakota is predominantly male. 69.5% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Dakota Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Dakota Smith, Dakota Johnson, Dakota Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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