Comments for the name Dakota

Comes from the "Lakota" tribe. Lakota is a m/f name, Native American origin meaning "alliance".

Dakota, Lakota and Nakota are "branches" of the Sioux tribe. Then, there are several "side branches", like Oglala and Yanktonai.

Hannah Dakota Fanning (she goes by Dakota Fanning) is a young (age 11) actress who has been in many movies, including War of the Worlds.

I dislike this name. It is a common name for livestock in my area and in my opinion a little 'trashy'.

Dakota is more of a male name in my opinion. The only Dakota I know is a 6-foot, 230 pound goth with a mohawk. But he's an awesome person!

This is a suitable name for an adult film star or a stripper. It's rather trendy and low-class, and a grave insult to our Native American friends.

If you think that this name is for a stripper you are insane. Sorry. Just answer 1 question: how is it grave to our Native Americans? I'm Native American and it isn't grave to me.

I really like this name. I don't see how you can get trashy out of this name. Heather Locklear's daughter Dakota Fanning (Up Town Girls).

I think "tacky" is a more apt description than "trashy". If you are a member of a Dakota tribe then it's your perogative if you name your baby this, otherwise, show some self-respect for your own culture instead of cheapening it. Anyway, it's not like Heather Locklear is some icon of refinement!

How can using the name of a Native American tribe be a grave insult to Native Americans? How is this name "trashy"? Is it trashy as belonging to the Dakota people, or only to a kid named Dakota? Now that is the most screwed up logic I have ever encountered.

By the way, Dakota Fanning is not Heather Locklear's daughter. She played her daughter. Heather Locklear does, however, have a daughter named Ava.

Dakota isn't a name I personally would choose, not that there is anything wrong it. To me it does sound very masculine.

Actress Lindsay Lohan has a younger brother named Dakota.

This name is atrocious. It's tacky sounding, trendy and just plain awful. Thank goodness it's popularity is dwindling!

Dakota is a nice name, but the only Dakota I've known was my friend's older sister. I really like this name, though!

There is a restaurant called Dakota's Roadhouse. You should try their ribs.

This name is nice, but I have a problem with unisex names. I'm not sure if this is more for a boy or a girl.

I love this name for a girl. The A ending seems to suggest a girl.

Dakota is my name, I like it because it is unique.

It's a perfectly good name with a nice meaning.

Dakota is my friend's name and she absolutely hates it! She goes by Cody. I personally don't think that it's that bad, even though it isn't my favorite name. I also know a set of twin boys who are named Dakota and Montana.

I think "Kota" is a great nickname for a boy named Dakota!

I have only known boys with this name. To me it is more masculine sounding.

I think another spelling of Dakota is Dacotah. I think it's a nice name, but since we already named our dog this, I wouldn't name my child Dakota/Dacotah.

I used to know this really sweet guy named Dakota, so I alyways use this name for a boy.

I thought this name would be perfect for a character in a story I'm writing. The character actually happens to be a cougress cub (yes, I did make up the word "cougress"). It's a very American name, and thus it would fit a very American child/character/animal.

This isn't really a Native American name, it's a word which refers to their allies - and using it as a proper name is quite ignorant and insulting. http://www.native-languages.org/wrongnames.htm

I don't see why using the name would be an insult to the Dakota people. Even if it isn't common to name a child Dakota among them - why shouldn't we do?
To me, it's more like an honoring gesture than an insult.

Furthermore, I don't get the argument about Dakota not being an actual name. Well, we made it one. It's no silly name without any significance but a name that originates from the Dakota, so to me, it's more sensible than any so-called "kreatyve" spelling of very ordinary names.

And what is more, the page someone above referred to says:
"It is the name of a Sioux tribe, and no one within the tribe is called "Dakota" for their first name, as this is not culturally appropriate."
--> So what? They don't have to call their children Dakota. But we can do it as we have another culture.

"It also does not mean "friend." It is a plural noun meaning 'the allies.' Naming your child this would be like naming him or her 'Frenchmen.'"
--> Again: what's the thing about that? So - it means "the allies". Well, every name has got a meaning, be it good or rather bad.

Famous bearer - Dakota Blue Richards.

Because of the 'a' at the end, I think this name is somewhat more suitable for girls. I wouldn't use it for either sex, though, as I find place names to be tacky. They sound weird in the places themselves, they always have associations related to the place, and a lot of times, they have no connection to the bearer of the name, which kind of defeat the purpose of using the name. It may even happen that the child will not end up liking the place. This isn't the prettiest name out there either.

My middle name is Dakota and I love it. My grandpa actually calls me this more than Katie, which is my first name. And when I was a flower girl in a wedding when I was little, the ring bearer was named Dakota. So it can be masculine or feminine, it just depends what you think.

I think it's fine that it's the name of a Native American tribe, and that it's unisex. But it sounds like a dog's name to me, not a person's.

This should not be used as a name. No one within the tribe this name comes from is named Dakota. Would you name your kid French or Polish? I thought so.

Tacky on an American child but my eyes practically roll out of their sockets on seeing it used outside of the US. It such a cheap fad name.

Dakota doesn't mean "friend". It actually means "the allies" in the Dakota language, and it is a plural noun. Read here for more information - http://www.native-languages.org/wrongnames.htm.

The one Dakota I've known was a former co-worker's pet German Shepherd. I'm not a fan of the name either way, but at least it sounds a little better on a dog. On a human it sounds incredibly tacky and trashy, and smacks of cultural ignorance and insensitivity. If you wouldn't name a kid Japanese or Canadian, why pull random names of Native American tribes? People from the Dakota tribe wouldn't name their kids Dakota, and anyone who wants to use this name because s/he feels some sort of connection to or interest in the Dakota tribe, instead of because it's some cutesy fad, would be better served by using an actual Dakota name, not the name of the tribe itself.

Famous bearer - Jacoby Dakota Shaddix, lead singer of Papa Roach.

Definitely more feminine. I like it.

Haha this is a great name! I haven't heard of one Native American disapproving of this name, and even if they did, well we DO have states called North and South Dakota. Not unlike naming you kid Florida, or Georgia.

"Would I name my kid French or Polish?"
I'll name my kid whatever I want. Would you name your kid Apple, or Jesus, or May, June, April, Monday, Clementine? Every name is derived from something, regardless of it were meant to be an actual proper name or not.

All in all, I personally love this name. I've only met one Dakota, but he's so nice it's hard to have any bad thoughts surrounding him.

My fiancee's name is Dakota. I always thought this name sounded feminine, but now, since I'm marrying a 5'10 gorgeous guy named Dakota, it's unshakably masculine for me. I can't say I would have used it, but for him, it works. He goes by Dak with some friends.

I think Dakota is a cute name for a little girl. But I am not exactly sure that I would want to use it on any future child of mine because I grew up with a dog named Dakota. That would just be a little weird.

My name is Dakota and I'm a girl. I always hear of guys named Dakota and people tell me it's a boys name. Personally, I like my name. I don't understand how it sounds masculine because it ends in an "a" and usually I think that makes them sound very feminine.

I know this is wicked tacky, but if I ever have to name a kid after a state, it would be this: Dakota Rose, and Kansas Violet. Maybe even a Montana Orchid. I like state names combined with flower names (for girls, of course). I like weird names. :)

Dakota is my name, and I've personally always liked it. I'm a female and though I've met several male Dakota's I've always felt that this name is more feminine because it ends in an "a". I know I'm biased, but I like my name a lot and get complimented on it frequently. I've never been made fun of for it. However, sometimes people have difficulty spelling it, which I find strange because it's just spelled just like the states. Some nicknames are D, Kota, or Cody. Young children often call me "Daka" or "Kota". Alternate spelling: Dakotah.

This is my name and I am a girl. I am perfectly fine with the fact that you hear about more guys having this name instead of girls. I believe that this name is very suitable for me because I am a tom-boy. So I believe this is a good name for non-girly girls and boys.

Dakota Goyo is the adorable little boy who played young Thor Odinson in Marvel's Thor (2011).

I am sick of this name. I've encountered it plenty of times. First of all, it's the name of two states and a Native American tribe. North and South Dakota really don't have much to offer (except for outdoors types, I suppose). It's really tacky to name your kid after an American state, especially if you aren't American. As for the tribe thing - it's like naming your kid Mexican. Second, it sounds like a really wimpy name for a boy. Though it's not much better on a girl. Please, pick something else!

Strange: The first time I met someone with this name I thought, "You're supposed to be a state." It seemed quite odd as a name. Now it's growing on me. I have met both males and females with this name, but find it distinctly male. The only kind of girl I can picture with this name is a really out-doorsy, tom-boyish, horse-loving girl--possibly this comes from Dakota Fanning. This is one of the few D names that even sound remotely appealing to me.