Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Cole

The name Cole comes from an English, Irish and occasionally Scottish surname which itself originated as a personal name. There are two schools of thought on how the name was given in the first place. The primary belief is that the name Cole comes from a Middle English nickname “Cola” (meaning swarthy, coal-black). Swarthy essentially signifies a dark, weather-beaten complexion, so it doesn’t have quite the same negative connotations we might think of today. For instance, the byname may have been used to describe a Dane or an Anglo-Saxon. Otherwise, the name Cole may just be a reduced form of the name Nicholas (from ancient Greek origins meaning people of victory). So is it swarthy people or victorious people? Hard to say for sure. We do know that 'Cola' and 'Cole' personal names date back to the Domesday Book of 1086 (Middle Ages), although the surname was only some seventy years behind. The first recorded spelling of the family name Cole was dated 1148, during the reign of King John of England. Today, the given name Cole is mainly popular in the United States, Canada and Scotland.

All About the Baby Name – Cole

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME COLE

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME COLE

The name Cole does not gain any significant popularity in the United States until the 1980’s, so from that perspective, it’s a relatively modern name. Although Cole has been on the American charts since the 1950’s, the year 1997 marks the first time that Cole makes an appearance on the Top 100 list of most popular boys’ names. Today the name has probably reached its height of popularity and we don’t expect it to climb much higher on the charts. The name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, so it needs to be matched with the right last name. Think Cole Porter, for instance – who, incidentally, was given his mother’s maiden name. Cole is a short and simple name reserved for non-frivolous parents. But not just American parents. Cole is currently the 45th most popular name in Scotland and ranks at number 37 in Canada (based off 2009 data).

Quick Facts

ON COLE

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

1

RANKING POPULARITY:

114

PRONUNCIATION:

KOHL

SIMPLE MEANING:

Swarthy, dark-complexion

Characteristics

OF COLE

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Cole

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME COLE

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Cole

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME COLE

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Cole


Popular Songs

ON COLE

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Cole


Famous People

NAMED COLE

Cole Hamels (baseball player)
Cole Sprouse (actor)
Cole Porter (songwriter)
Cole Hauser (actor)

Children of Famous People

NAMED COLE

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Cole

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME COLE

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Cole