Joe Cole
There are approximately 137 people named Joe Cole living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 2,501,856 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Joe with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Cole. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
137
1 in 2,501,856
Named Joe
217K
Alive today
Named Cole
216K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 217K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1936
Average age: 63
Top Census group: White (60.9%)
Estimated bearers: 216K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #129
Per 100K: 62.89
Top ancestry: White (71.7%)
First name trend
Joe: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Joe. The peak year was 1936 with 8,266 births. The average person named Joe today is 63 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Joe
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Joe, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 60.9%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Joe described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Joe at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White60.9% · 168,012
- Hispanic or Latino21.4% · 59,015
- Black or African American11.8% · 32,574
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 7,996
- Two or more races2.0% · 5,587
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 2,687
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Cole surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Cole, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 71.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Cole described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Cole at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- 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
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Joe has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0633% of the US population, based on 217,107 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Joe right now.
The surname Cole appears at a rate of 62.89 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0629%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 137 people with the full name Joe Cole. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Joe
Related
Other people with the surname Cole
FAQ
Joe Cole: questions and answers
How many people are named Joe Cole?
We estimate approximately 137 people in the United States share the full name Joe Cole. That works out to about 1 in 2,501,856 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0633%) with the surname frequency (62.89 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Joe Cole?
We classify Joe Cole as "Very Rare". About 1 in 2,501,856 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Joe a male or female name?
Joe is predominantly male. Out of 464,326 total SSA registrations, 97.6% were male and 2.4% were female. See the full Joe profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many people are called Joe Cole?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.