Boys' name · peaked in 2002
Cole name popularity since 1925
154,345 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Cole. Half of them were born in 2005 or earlier, so the typical Cole is about 21 years old in 2026. Cole peaked in 2002 as the #69 name for boys, and it ranked #182 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 154,345
- Named Cole, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #182
- for boys in 2025 (2,003 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.6% boys
- 553 girls · 153,792 boys
- Most popular in
- Utah
- 2.19× its national share
Peak year is the year Cole made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Cole births per year, 1925–2025
2002 was the biggest year for Cole both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1979 and 1984, Cole became 7× more common, from 1 in 10,900 baby boys to 1 in 1,550.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Cole's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Cole.
Decade by decade
Babies named Cole in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 72 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 127 | #2,565 |
| 1940s | 0 | 224 | #2,600 |
| 1950s | 0 | 562 | #950 |
| 1960s | 0 | 703 | #892 |
| 1970s | 0 | 1,444 | #653 |
| 1980s | 76 | 8,722 | #204 |
| 1990s | 128 | 33,868 | #118 |
| 2000s | 167 | 56,846 | #79 |
| 2010s | 126 | 36,401 | #115 |
| 2020–25 | 56 | 14,823 | #182 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
55.2% of babies named Cole from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Cole is most popular
The index compares Cole's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Cole.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | 2.19× | 2,854 |
| North Dakota | 2.17× | 1,049 |
| Montana | 2.16× | 969 |
| Alaska | 2.05× | 467 |
| South Dakota | 2.03× | 991 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Cole and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Cole (this page) | 153,792 | 2002 |
| Kole | 9,785 | 2010 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Cole's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Cole.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Cole (2002).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data