Nakota
A Native American name meaning "allies" or "friends".
Name Census estimates that about 372 living Americans carry the first name Nakota. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 62.2% of registrations being male. The average person named Nakota today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nakota births was 2005 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nakota. 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.
People living today
372
~ 1 in 921,383 Americans
Peak year
2005
21 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,864
Tracked since 1991
Gender
Gender distribution for Nakota
Nakota is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 378 total registrations, 235 (62.2%) were male and 143 (37.8%) were female.
Nakota as a male name
- Ranked #11,864 in 2024
- 6 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (15 births)
Nakota as a female name
- Ranked #16,893 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2005 (11 births)
Popularity
Nakota: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nakota from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 121 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Nakota remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nakota 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 Nakota 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 Nakota
The name Nakota is of Native American origin, specifically from the Siouan language family spoken by various tribes in the Great Plains region of North America. The name is derived from the word "Nakhota," which translates to "allies" or "friends." It is believed to have originated in the early 18th century or earlier.
The Nakota people, also known as the Yankton-Yanktonai or the Western Dakota, were a division of the larger Dakota/Lakota/Nakota tribes. They have a rich cultural heritage and played a significant role in the history of the Great Plains region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nakota can be found in the journals of French explorers and fur traders who encountered these tribes during their expeditions in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The name appears in various historical documents and accounts from that period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Nakota. Here are a few examples:
1. Nakota (c. 1820-1890), a respected chief of the Yankton Sioux tribe, known for his diplomatic efforts and efforts to preserve his people's way of life.
2. Nakota Horse (c. 1835-1923), a renowned warrior and medicine man of the Oglala Lakota tribe, who participated in several battles against the U.S. Army.
3. Nakota Wambli (c. 1855-1935), a prominent spiritual leader and elder of the Yanktonai Dakota tribe, who played a significant role in preserving traditional beliefs and practices.
4. Nakota Silverheels (1910-1994), a celebrated actor and dancer from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, who appeared in numerous films and television shows, depicting Native American characters.
5. Nakota LaRance (born 1976), a contemporary artist and educator of Hunkpapa Lakota and Aaniihi descent, known for his vibrant paintings and commitment to preserving Indigenous cultures.
These individuals, among others, have carried the name Nakota throughout history, representing the rich cultural heritage and resilience of the Native American tribes from which the name originated.
People
Nakota + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nakota as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nakota: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nakota?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 372 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nakota 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 921,383 US residents.
Is Nakota a common name?
We classify Nakota as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 378 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nakota most popular?
The single biggest year for Nakota was 2005, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nakota is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nakota a male name?
Yes, 62.2% of people registered as Nakota in the SSA data are male. 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.
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.