# Cole (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/cole/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “coal”, “coal-black” |
| Pronunciation | /koʊl/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 154,646 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 154,093 / 553 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 9,051, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

The surname is variously from: # A nickname from Old English col (“coal, coal-black”), # A patronymic from Nicholas (see also Coles, Colson, Colle). # A variation of Cowell (which itself has several origins). # As an Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname, variant of McCool. # As a German surname, Americanized from Kohl. # As a Dutch surname, Americanized from Kool. # As a French surname, Americanized/calqued from Charbonneau, influenced by the first sense.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 13 | 8,739 |
| 2012 | 12 | 9,233 |
| 2013 | 13 | 8,701 |
| 2014 | 9 | 11,189 |
| 2015 | 15 | 7,715 |
| 2016 | 18 | 6,718 |
| 2017 | 12 | 8,918 |
| 2018 | 13 | 8,250 |
| 2019 | 16 | 7,101 |
| 2020 | 10 | 9,717 |
| 2021 | 12 | 8,592 |
| 2022 | 8 | 11,430 |
| 2023 | 14 | 7,731 |
| 2024 | 6 | 13,850 |
| 2025 | 6 | 13,569 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 4,140 | 94 |
| 2012 | 3,779 | 102 |
| 2013 | 3,454 | 114 |
| 2014 | 3,426 | 116 |
| 2015 | 3,499 | 115 |
| 2016 | 3,604 | 110 |
| 2017 | 3,468 | 116 |
| 2018 | 3,348 | 118 |
| 2019 | 3,093 | 123 |
| 2020 | 2,771 | 133 |
| 2021 | 2,835 | 132 |
| 2022 | 2,626 | 144 |
| 2023 | 2,364 | 155 |
| 2024 | 2,224 | 162 |
| 2025 | 2,003 | 182 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 394 | 151 |
| 2012 | 388 | 151 |
| 2013 | 348 | 161 |
| 2014 | 335 | 171 |
| 2015 | 327 | 180 |
| 2016 | 396 | 145 |
| 2017 | 402 | 144 |
| 2018 | 413 | 139 |
| 2019 | 317 | 171 |
| 2020 | 291 | 183 |
| 2021 | 265 | 204 |
| 2022 | 277 | 184 |
| 2023 | 247 | 200 |
| 2024 | 300 | 169 |
| 2025 | 289 | 179 |

## People named Cole

- Cole Palmer, English footballer (born 2002)
- Cole Porter, American composer and songwriter (1891–1964)
- Cole Sprouse, American actor (born 1992)
- Stephen Cole Kleene, American mathematician and theoretical computer scientist (1909–1994)
- Cole Hauser, American actor
- Cole Hocker, American middle-distance runner
- Cole Aldrich, American basketball player (born 1988)
- Cole Hamels, American baseball player
- Cole Anthony, American basketball player (born 2000)
- Cole Caufield, American ice hockey player
- Cole Bassett, American soccer player
- Cole Sillinger, Canadian ice hockey player

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.