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