Origins of the Cole surname

What does the name Cole mean?

Cole is an name that is English in origin. It's a patronymic name, that relates to those who are the son or descendant of somebody called 'Nicholas', 'Colin' or 'Cole' (the latter two being diminutive forms of the first name). The name is particularly prevalent in the south of England, and much more rarely found in the north and Scotland.

Alternative variations of the name Cole

Cole, Coal, Coles, Coales, Coale, Coals, Cole, Coles, Coll, Colls,

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Delve deeper into the Cole family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 819North West 293Isle of Man 13Yorkshire 1105East Midlands 597West Midlands 1188East 2622London 7654South East 3703South West 2055South Wales 564Mid Wales 147West Wales 33North Wales 35Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Coles lived in london

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

47,000 Cole Travel & migration records
280,000 Coles found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Cole

How common is your surname?

111th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Cole surname. The oldest one dates back to 1318.

Who were Coles most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Coles.

What are the most common Cole first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Cole family members
Man with milk churns and census card collage
Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Coles

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Coles in 1921

Dressmaker

1,368

Laundress

969

Domestic Servant

764

General Servant Domestic

680

House Servant

600

Common male occupations for Coles in 1921

Agricultural Labourer

1,684

Carpenter

1,134

General Labourer

1,035

Farm Labourer

850

Farmer

838

We found over 530,000 family trees with the Cole surname

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