# Cole (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/cole/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A male given name transferred from the surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 195,289 |
| US rank (2010) | 126 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 1,581 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.0% (187,793 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /koʊl/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## 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.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Cole in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 75% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 19% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.1% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Cole in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Nigeria and the Kingdom of Great Britain.

## People named Cole

- Natalie Cole, American singer (1950–2015)
- J. Cole, American rapper and record producer (born 1985)
- Thomas Cole, 19th-century American painter (1801-1848)
- Keyshia Cole, American R&B singer
- Gary Cole, American actor (born 1956)
- Paula Cole, American singer
- Joe Cole, British actor (born 1988)
- Christina Cole, British actress
- Finn Cole, British actor
- Norris Cole, American basketball player (born 1988)
- Michael Cole, American wrestling commentator and journalist (born 1966)
- Taylor Cole, American actress

and 45 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Cooley, Coyle, Coley, Colley, Cowley, Cool, Cale, Collie, Coello, Coll, Coil, Cola.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.