How Many People Are Named Cole?
An estimated 149,454 people in the United States have the first name Cole. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #357 overall. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 21 years old, and Cole peaked in popularity in 2002 with 6,054 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Cole as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Cole paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Cole is overwhelmingly male, 546 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
149,454
About 1 in 2,293 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.6% confidence
Average Age
21
years old
Peak Year
2002
6,054 births
Total Registered
152,615
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Cole
Cole is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 152,615 total births registered, 99.6% were male.
Cole as a male name
Ranked #162 in 2024
2,219 male births in 2024
Peak: 2002 (6,038 births)
Cole as a female name
Ranked #15,739 in 2024
5 female births in 2024
Peak: 2006 (32 births)
Cole: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Cole span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2000s, when 57,012 babies were registered. Cole has declined significantly from its peak in the 2000s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Cole by Decade
How has Cole tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Cole by State
Birth registrations for Cole span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, Pennsylvania. The lowest are in District of Columbia, Wyoming, Vermont. On average, about 2,932 Coles were registered per state.
Cole + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Cole as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Cole
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Cole: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cole?
We estimate approximately 149,454 people named Cole are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 2,293 Americans share this first name.
Is Cole a common name?
Cole is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.7% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 152,615 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Cole most popular?
Cole reached peak popularity in 2002, when 6,054 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Cole is approximately 21 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Cole a male name?
Cole is predominantly male. 99.6% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Cole Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Cole Smith, Cole Johnson, Cole Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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