Dkota
From Native American origin referring to an allied group of tribes.
Name Census estimates that about 22 living Americans carry the first name Dkota. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 54.5% of registrations being female. The average person named Dkota today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dkota births was 2020 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dkota. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Dkota. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
22
~ 1 in 15,579,743 Americans
Peak year
2020
6 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2019 SSA rank
#12,652
Tracked since 2003
Gender
Gender distribution for Dkota
Dkota is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 22 total registrations, 10 (45.5%) were male and 12 (54.5%) were female.
Dkota as a male name
- Ranked #12,652 in 2019
- 5 male births in 2019
- Peak: 2003 (5 births)
Dkota as a female name
- Ranked #14,037 in 2022
- 6 female births in 2022
- Peak: 2020 (6 births)
Popularity
Dkota: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dkota from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 12 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dkota by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Dkota during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dkota
The given name Dkota does not appear to have a clear historical origin or linguistic background. It is an unconventional spelling that deviates from the more commonly recognized form of "Dakota," which itself has a well-established etymology rooted in the Native American Sioux tribes.
The name "Dakota" originates from the Sioux word "Dakȟóta," which translates to "ally" or "friend." It was the collective name used by several Native American tribes, including the Santee, Yankton, and Teton, who inhabited the Great Plains region of North America. The earliest records of the name "Dakota" date back to the late 18th century when it was documented by European explorers and traders.
While the unconventional spelling "Dkota" does not seem to have any historical significance or documented usage, it is likely a modern variation or creative adaptation of the more traditional form. There are no known prominent historical figures or references associated specifically with the spelling "Dkota."
However, the name "Dakota" has been borne by several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded instances was Dakota Lithgow (1854-1934), an American frontiersman and scout who played a significant role in the exploration and settlement of the American West. Another example is Dakota Staton (1930-2007), an American jazz singer and songwriter who gained popularity in the 1950s and 1960s.
In more recent times, Dakota Fanning (born 1994) is a well-known American actress who rose to fame as a child star in movies like "I Am Sam" and "War of the Worlds." Dakota Johnson (born 1989) is another accomplished actress, known for her roles in films such as "Fifty Shades of Grey" and "Suspiria."
It is worth noting that while the name "Dakota" has a rich cultural heritage and historical significance, the variant spelling "Dkota" does not appear to have any documented origins or notable bearers throughout history.
People
Dkota + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dkota as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dkota: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dkota?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 22 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dkota going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 15,579,743 US residents.
Is Dkota a common name?
We classify Dkota as "Very Rare". It ranks above 41.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 22 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dkota most popular?
The single biggest year for Dkota was 2020, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dkota is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Dkota in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dkota a female name?
Yes, 54.5% of people registered as Dkota in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Dkota still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dkota in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Dkota can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Dkota?
Want to know how many Americans are named Dkota? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.