How popular is the name Cole?

Cole ranks 214th among boys' names in US records, with 164,656 births since 1886. Over the past decade it accounts for 33,044.

Is Cole a unisex name?

No. Cole is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.

2002, when 6,478 children were given the name. It has been in use for 139 years and is still recorded as of 2024.

Kole, Kohl, Kol, Coal. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.

Boy name#214 of boy names

Pronounced K OW1 L (ARPABET)

Cole is a boys' name, and first appears in 1886. It has been given to 164,656 children — the 214th most common boys' name on record.

It has been slipping, down 35% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 2002, when 6,478 children were given it.

Four other spellings are counted in that total — Kole, Kohl, Kol and one more — because they are pronounced identically.

2002Boys: 6,478Girls: 16

These spellings sound identical to Cole and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.

Phonetic detail

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

How popular is the name Cole?: Cole ranks 214th among boys' names in US records, with 164,656 births since 1886. Over the past decade it accounts for 33,044.
Is Cole a unisex name?: No. Cole is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Cole most popular?: 2002, when 6,478 children were given the name. It has been in use for 139 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
How else is Cole spelled?: Kole, Kohl, Kol, Coal. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.