Fun Facts About the Name Kole
- More than 9 thousand babies named Kole: U.S. records list 9,853 babies given the name Kole from 1880 through 2025. Even 70 girls received the name Kole - about 1 girl for every 140 boys.
What Does the Name Kole Mean?
Kole is mainly an English given name used as a spelling variant of Cole. Cole comes from the Old English word col, meaning "coal" or "charcoal." It began as a byname - a descriptive nickname - for someone who made or sold charcoal, or for a person with very dark hair or coloring. The related Old Norse word kol carries the same sense, and the byname may also have come into English through Scandinavian settlement. Behind the surname Cole also lies the Old English personal name Cola, a short form of compound names beginning with Col-. The modern given name Cole was taken from the surname, and Kole is a respelling of it.
Separately, in Serbian, Macedonian, and Bulgarian, Kole is a familiar short form of Nikola, the Slavic form of Nicholas. Nicholas traces to Greek Nikolaos, from nikē ("victory") and laos ("people"), so this Kole carries the sense "victory of the people." It is not related to the English name, even though the two look identical in the Latin alphabet.
Kole Name History & Origins
Cole is recorded in medieval England as both a personal name and a surname. Surnames such as Cole, Coll, and Coale grew from the Old English byname and from the personal name Cola, and Cole became one of the more widespread English surnames. English settlers carried the surname to North America, and from the surname came the given name Cole.
The spelling Kole stands for the same single syllable as Cole, with K replacing C. English spelling has no fixed rule for this sound, so C- and K- spellings of the same name often exist side by side; Kole also appears as a surname spelling.
In South Slavic usage, Kole is a familiar form of Nikola rather than a name in its own right. It is used informally, much as English speakers shorten Nicholas to Nick, and it appears in Serbian and Macedonian usage. Because the two names look identical when written in Latin letters, they are sometimes confused, but they developed independently.
How Popular is the Name Kole?
Kole recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2009. Its best rank was #587 in 2010.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #16,203 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2022 | #14,518 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2021 | #14,430 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #11,996 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #17,247 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #15,354 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #15,527 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #15,648 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #15,993 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #16,532 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #18,732 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #17,144 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,247 | 160 | 0.0094% |
| 2024 | #1,200 | 170 | 0.0099% |
| 2023 | #971 | 226 | 0.0132% |
| 2022 | #1,026 | 216 | 0.0124% |
| 2021 | #859 | 272 | 0.0156% |
| 2020 | #855 | 267 | 0.0155% |
| 2019 | #816 | 279 | 0.0156% |
| 2018 | #771 | 301 | 0.0166% |
| 2017 | #759 | 310 | 0.0168% |
| 2016 | #798 | 293 | 0.0154% |
| 2015 | #762 | 313 | 0.0163% |
| 2014 | #799 | 288 | 0.0150% |
| 2013 | #724 | 323 | 0.0171% |
| 2012 | #715 | 331 | 0.0175% |
| 2011 | #669 | 353 | 0.0186% |
| 2010 | #587 | 428 | 0.0223% |
| 2009 | #598 | 433 | 0.0218% |
| 2008 | #667 | 363 | 0.0178% |
| 2007 | #636 | 382 | 0.0184% |
| 2006 | #655 | 352 | 0.0171% |
| 2005 | #601 | 376 | 0.0188% |
| 2004 | #632 | 335 | 0.0169% |
| 2003 | #638 | 323 | 0.0164% |
| 2002 | #613 | 327 | 0.0168% |
| 2001 | #647 | 289 | 0.0149% |
| 2000 | #686 | 258 | 0.0131% |
| 1999 | #668 | 255 | 0.0133% |
| 1998 | #750 | 215 | 0.0112% |
| 1997 | #745 | 202 | 0.0107% |
| 1996 | #882 | 155 | 0.0082% |
| 1995 | #858 | 160 | 0.0084% |
| 1994 | #938 | 138 | 0.0071% |
| 1993 | #970 | 124 | 0.0063% |
| 1992 | #1,072 | 105 | 0.0053% |
| 1991 | #1,392 | 67 | 0.0033% |
| 1990 | #1,524 | 56 | 0.0027% |
| 1989 | #2,180 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 1988 | #1,784 | 39 | 0.0020% |
| 1987 | #1,920 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1986 | #1,863 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1985 | #1,712 | 36 | 0.0019% |
| 1984 | #1,593 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 1983 | #1,802 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 1982 | #2,384 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1981 | #4,352 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #4,000 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1979 | #3,463 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1976 | #6,073 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #3,047 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1973 | #4,832 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1972 | #3,073 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1971 | #5,315 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #4,734 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore More Lists with Name Kole
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with K
Short Boy Names That Start with K
How the Name Kole Shapes Your Personality and Life?
EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Kole's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kole's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.