| Cole | Randall | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | coal, swarthy, dark | shield wolf |
| Origin | english | english |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | KOHL | RAN-dul |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1886 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2002 (6,038) | 1960 (7,174) |
| In 2025 | 2,003 | 0 |
| Trend | Declining | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Cole | Randall |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 14,823 | 882 |
| 2010s | 36,401 | 2,244 |
| 2000s | 56,846 | 4,074 |
| 1990s | 33,868 | 10,322 |
| 1980s | 8,722 | 19,326 |
| 1970s | 1,444 | 23,025 |
| 1960s | 703 | 52,055 |
| 1950s | 562 | 62,450 |
| 1940s | 224 | 17,774 |
| 1930s | 127 | 3,014 |
| 1920s | 156 | 1,952 |
| 1910s | 190 | 1,140 |
| 1900s | 16 | 157 |
| 1890s | 5 | 89 |
| 1880s | 6 | 88 |
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.
Medieval English form of the Old English name Randwulf, from 'rand' ('shield, rim') and 'wulf' ('wolf'), meaning 'shield wolf'. Shares its root and sense with Randolph.
Cole is more popular than Randall today: about 2,003 US babies were given the name Cole in 2025, compared with 0 named Randall.
Cole means coal, swarthy, dark (english origin), while Randall means shield wolf (english origin).
In US records, Cole first appears in 1886 and Randall in 0, so Randall has the longer recorded history.