Cole History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Cole history begins in Cornwall, a rugged coastal region in southwestern England. Quite distinct from Devon, the adjoining county, Cornwall had its own spoken language until the late 18th century. The Cole history began here. The manner in which hereditary surnamesarose is interesting. Local surnames were derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used local surnames. The Cole family originally lived in south west England. Their name, however, is derived from the Old English word coll, which means hill, and indicates that the original bearer lived near such a land form.

Cole is a hamlet in the parish of Pitcomb, union of Wincanton, hundred of Bruton, in Somerset and is a tything, in the parish, union, and hundred of Malmesbury, Malmesbury and Kingswood, in Wiltshire. [1]

Alternatively, the name could have been “derived from the name of an ancestor. ‘the son of Nicholas,’ from nickname Cole. ” [2]

The name is also a “very ancient Teutonic personal name. In Domesday Book, it appears as a baptismal and later in the [Hundredorum Rolls] as a family name. ” [3]

“The distribution in the Domesday Book of 1086 suggests that it is more often from the Old English Cola, an original byname from Old English col ‘coal’ in the sense ‘coal-black, swarthy’ ” [4]

Interestingly “Koyl, Coyll, Coil, or Coel was an ancient name, borne by two kings of Britain, the first of whom reigned A.D. 125.” [5] These may actually refer to Old King Cole. It is generally thought that this nursery rhyme was probably based on a real person; however there are various theories as to his origin. 

Early Origins of the Cole family

The surname Cole was first found in south west England. “Essentially south of Englandnames, especially in the south – west, rarely occurring north of a line drawn west from the Wash. Cole is best distributed and has its principal homes in Devon and Wiltshire. Coles is most numerous in Somerset. ” [6]

The first record of the name was found in the Domesday Book of 1086 which listed Cola and Cole. [7] From this earliest record we look to Kent to find Cola filius Lanterii there c. 1145 and a few years later, we find Robertus filius Cole listed in the Assize Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1206. Geoffrey, Richard Cole were both listed in 1148 in Winton, Hampshire and a few years later as Knights Templar in 1185. [4]

Moving further north, in Yorkshire the Latin source “Cartularium Abbatiale de Whiteby, Ordinis S. Benedicti” noted Rand’ filius Cole temp. 13th century. Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Johannes Cole and Elias Cole as holding lands there at that time. [2]

Early History of the Cole family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cole research.

Cole Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Cole, Coles, Coal, Coale, Coalas and others.

Early Notables of the Cole family (pre 1700)

Notable amongst the family at this time was Henry Cole (1500?-1580), Dean of St. Paul’s, a native of Godshill in the Isle of Wight; Richard Cole, Sheriff of Newcastle; Thomas Cole (1622-1681), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Hampshire (1656), High Sheriff of Hampshire in 1663; Thomas Cole (1627?-1697), an English independent minister; William Coles (1616-1697), an English lawyer and politician, Member of Parliament for Downton in 1659 and 1660.

Cole World Ranking

In the United States, the name Cole is the 108^th most popular surname with an estimated 198,960 people with that name. [8] However, in Canada, the name Cole is ranked the 268^thmost popular surname with an estimated 15,635 people with that name. [9] And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Cole is the 97^th popular surname with an estimated 326 people with that name. [10] Australia ranks Cole as 164^th with 18,763 people. [11] New Zealand ranks Cole as 168^th with 3,140 people. [12] The United Kingdom ranks Cole as 128^th with 39,146 people. [13]

 Migration of the Cole family to Ireland

Some of the Cole family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.

 Cole migration to the United States +

Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Cole: 

Cole Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• Francis Cole, aged 27, who landed in Virginia in 1616 aboard the ship “Susan” [14]
• Mrs. William Cole, who arrived in Virginia in 1616 aboard the ship “Neptune” [14]
• William Cole, who landed in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship “Margaret of Bristol” [14]
• Jon Cole, who landed in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship “Margaret of Bristol” [14]
• George Cole, who arrived in Virginia in 1622