| Cole | Bennett | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | coal, swarthy, dark | Blessed |
| Origin | english | English |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | KOHL | BEN-it |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1886 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2002 (6,038) | 2025 (6,268) |
| In 2025 | 2,003 | 6,268 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Cole | Bennett |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 14,823 | 27,444 |
| 2010s | 36,401 | 24,908 |
| 2000s | 56,846 | 7,128 |
| 1990s | 33,868 | 3,020 |
| 1980s | 8,722 | 1,573 |
| 1970s | 1,444 | 797 |
| 1960s | 703 | 1,626 |
| 1950s | 562 | 1,841 |
| 1940s | 224 | 1,137 |
| 1930s | 127 | 948 |
| 1920s | 156 | 1,009 |
| 1910s | 190 | 683 |
| 1900s | 16 | 153 |
| 1890s | 5 | 118 |
| 1880s | 6 | 129 |
Partly from Old English 'col' meaning 'coal', used as a nickname for someone of dark or swarthy complexion or black hair. Note: Cole can also be a short form of Nicholas, which is unrelated to 'dark', so the dark sense is one origin among two.
Bennett is a medieval English form of Benedict, from the Latin for “blessed.”
Bennett is more popular than Cole today: about 6,268 US babies were given the name Bennett in 2025, compared with 2,003 named Cole.
Cole means coal, swarthy, dark (english origin), while Bennett means Blessed (English origin).
In US records, Cole first appears in 1886 and Bennett in 1880, so Bennett has the longer recorded history.