2000
#116
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 187,793
First available Census row
Per 100,000 69.61
Common Last name
Cole
An English occupational surname referring to someone who sold or transported coal or charcoal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 215,572 Americans carry the last name Cole. That puts it at #129 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 62.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,590 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cole surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cole with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
216K
1 in 1,590
Census rank
#129
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
62.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
188K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 187,989 bearers of the surname Cole in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 62.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 129th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cole, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cole
The surname COLE has its origins in England, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "col," which means soot or charcoal, and likely referred to someone who worked with charcoal or lived near a charcoal burner's hut.
The name COLE is found in several early English records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Cole" and "Cole." This suggests that the name was well-established in various parts of England by the late 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname COLE was William Cole, born around 1170 in Oxfordshire, England. He is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1195.
In the 13th century, the name COLE appeared in various forms, such as "Colle," "Coll," and "Coles." This reflects the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation at the time. One notable figure from this period was Henry Cole, born around 1240 in Suffolk, who is recorded in the Feet of Fines for Suffolk in 1275.
The COLE surname has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Cole Green in Hertfordshire and Cole Orton in Leicestershire. These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname COLE who lived or owned land in those areas.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several notable individuals with the surname COLE emerged. Sir Francis Cole (1572-1647) was a prominent English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1638. Thomas Cole (1627-1697) was an English Puritan minister and author, known for his work "The Old Apostolic Constitutions."
In the 18th century, William Cole (1714-1782) was an English antiquarian and clergyman who compiled extensive records of churches and monuments in Cambridgeshire and other counties. Another notable figure was Benjamin Cole (1695-1766), an English botanist and author of "The Art of Simpling" (1730).
The 19th century saw the rise of several prominent individuals with the surname COLE, including Sir Henry Cole (1808-1882), an English civil servant and inventor who played a crucial role in organizing the Great Exhibition of 1851. Thomas Cole (1801-1848) was a renowned American painter, founder of the Hudson River School of landscape painting.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cole
Among Census respondents with the surname Cole, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cole bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cole surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.7% · 134,867
- Black or African American19.0% · 35,808
- Two or more races4.5% · 8,440
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 6,274
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,324
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1,276
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cole
Cole appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 195,289
+7,496 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 66.20
Rank movement Down 10 places
2020
#129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 187,989
-7,300 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 62.89
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116 | 187,793 | 69.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126 | 195,289 | 66.20 | +7,496 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 10 places |
| 2020 | #129 | 187,989 | 62.89 | -7,300 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 3 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cole surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #126 | #129 | -2.4% |
| Count | 195,289 | 187,989 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 66.20 | 62.89 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cole bearers went from 195,289 to 187,989 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #126 to #129.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cole
FAQ
Cole surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cole?
Name Census estimates that about 215,572 living Americans carry the surname Cole. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,590 residents.
How common is Cole?
Cole ranks #129 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 62.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 63 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 187,989 people with the surname Cole. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (215,572), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 62.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 62.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 63 of them to have the surname Cole.
Has Cole become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cole went from 195,289 recorded bearers to 187,989. That is a decrease of 7,300 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #126 to #129.
What does the Census say about the background of Cole?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cole, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cole in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.7% (134,867 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cole appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.7%), Black (19.0%), Two or More Races (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cole (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cole mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who sold or transported coal or charcoal. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cole (62.89 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Cole?
You can see how common the surname Cole is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.