Nigel Cole
There are approximately 7 people named Nigel Cole living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 48,964,905 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Nigel 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
7
1 in 48,964,905
Named Nigel
12K
Alive today
Named Cole
216K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 12K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1994
Average age: 30
Top Census group: Black or African American (52.0%)
Estimated bearers: 216K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #129
Per 100K: 62.89
Top ancestry: White (71.7%)
First name trend
Nigel: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Nigel. The peak year was 1994 with 454 births. The average person named Nigel today is 30 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nigel
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Nigel, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is Black or African American at 52.0%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nigel 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 Nigel at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- Black or African American52.0% · 7,288
- White30.1% · 4,214
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 885
- Two or more races6.3% · 879
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 626
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 120
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 Nigel has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0035% of the US population, based on 11,853 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 Nigel 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 7 people with the full name Nigel 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 Nigel
Related
Other people with the surname Cole
FAQ
Nigel Cole: questions and answers
How many people are named Nigel Cole?
We estimate approximately 7 people in the United States share the full name Nigel Cole. That works out to about 1 in 48,964,905 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0035%) with the surname frequency (62.89 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Nigel Cole?
We classify Nigel Cole as "Very Rare". About 1 in 48,964,905 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Nigel a male or female name?
Nigel is predominantly male. Out of 12,296 total SSA registrations, 99.3% were male and 0.7% were female. See the full Nigel 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 named Nigel Cole?
Find out how common the name Nigel Cole is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.