Dakota, of Native American origin, is derived from the Sioux words 'dakhota' and 'lakhota', meaning 'friend' or 'ally'. It gained popularity in the late 19th century due to its association with the Dakota Indians featured in several Western novels.
The name Dacota experienced significant popularity between the late 1980s and mid-1990s, with a peak of 40 births in both 1997 and 1998. However, since then, its popularity has sharply declined, with fewer than 20 births per year from 2003 onwards, and as low as 6 births in 2010. As of 2022, there were only 7 recorded births with the name Dacota. In total, since 1988, there have been 491 babies named Dacota.