Unisex name · since 1966
Dakota
Since 1966, U.S. Social Security records show 93,118 babies named Dakota, peaking in 1995. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #328 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #319 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 93,118
- born since 1966
- 1990s
- peak decade
Dakota currently ranks #319 among unisex names in America, with 93,118 babies recorded since 1966.
Dakota has 93,118 recorded births among boys since 1966, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #319 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of boys, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1966 to 2025.
- #328 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #319 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 93,118 born since 1966
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dakota ranks #328 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #319 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 93,118 born since 1966, peaking in the 1990s.
- #328 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #319 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 93,118
- born since 1966
- 1990s
- peak decade
Dakota's 93,118 recorded births place it above 99.27% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
50 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Dakota compares
93,118 Top 3% higher than 97% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Dakota's all-time total is 252x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dakota | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 93,118 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 6,575 | 34 | 22,252 |
Dakota's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Dakota splits its recorded history at 1997: 64% of all births land in the more recent half, 36% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1966 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1995 peak of 6,575 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Dakota popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1966–2025
- Peak year (1995)
- 6,575
- Annual births at peak, across 60 years of records
Dakota popularity over time - girls
41,458 total births recorded since 1915 (Dakota as girls' name)
Dakota by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (46,649 births, 50% of the file).
1990s was Dakota's strongest decade.
46,649 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 50% of all-time use.
Dakota births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 10
1960s
10 births
- 1970s 180
1970s
180 births
- 1980s 2,457
1980s
2,457 births
- 1990s
1990s
46,649 births
- 2000s
2000s
28,181 births
- 2010s 9,667
2010s
9,667 births
- 2020s 5,974
2020s
5,974 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 46,649 births (50% of all-time use).
How Dakota compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Dakota's total volume
Dakota by state
Where Dakota concentrates geographically, total births since 1966
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 6,361 | 6.8% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 5,257 | 5.6% |
| #3 | California | | 4,488 | 4.8% |
| #4 | Missouri | | 4,005 | 4.3% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 3,865 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Indiana | | 3,829 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Tennessee | | 3,742 | 4.0% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 3,672 | 3.9% |
6,361 of 93,118 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Dakota appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Dakota? ▼
Where does Dakota sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Dakota most popular? ▼
Where is Dakota most popular? ▼
Is Dakota a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Dakota been used? ▼
What names are similar to Dakota? ▼
What to do with Dakota's data
- Dakota's decade-level peak was the 1990s (46,649 total births); usage has since declined to 5,974 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Dakotas (6,361 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Dakota
Nearby Names Like Dakota
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dakota
Compare Dakota side by side: Dakota vs Dakari Dakota vs Dakoda Dakota vs Dakotah
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dakota
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Dakota: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1995)
Similar record span (~59 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1966–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Dakota draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.