Thirty years of Cole
Cole in numbers
Cole peaked in 2010 with 499 boys and has fallen since, to 289 in 2025. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2002 and 2005, from 218 to 407. On average it was given to 72 boys a year in the late 1990s, 328 in the 2000s, 382 in the 2010s and 278 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year-4%300 to 289
- 5 years-1%291 to 289
- 10 years-12%327 to 289
- 20 years-29%407 to 289
- Since 1996×647 to 289
- Total, 1996 to 20259,051boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 179 · ONS · 300 in 2024
Rank 64 · NRS · 77 in 2024
Rank 212 · NISRA · 17 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 179 | 289 | -4% | 1 in 1,041 |
| 2024 | 169 | 300 | +21% | 1 in 1,017 |
| 2023 | 200 | 247 | -11% | 1 in 1,227 |
| 2022 | =184 | 277 | +5% | 1 in 1,121 |
| 2021 | 204 | 265 | -9% | 1 in 1,208 |
| 2020 | 183 | 291 | -8% | 1 in 1,081 |
| 2019 | 171 | 317 | -23% | 1 in 1,038 |
| 2018 | 139 | 413 | +3% | 1 in 817 |
| 2017 | 144 | 402 | +2% | 1 in 866 |
| 2016 * | =145 | 396 | +21% | 1 in 899 |
| 2015 | 180 | 327 | -2% | 1 in 1,095 |
| 2014 | =171 | 335 | -4% | 1 in 1,065 |
| 2013 | 161 | 348 | -10% | 1 in 1,030 |
| 2012 | =151 | 388 | -2% | 1 in 965 |
| 2011 | =151 | 394 | -21% | 1 in 942 |
| 2010 | 125 | 499 | +19% | 1 in 743 |
| 2009 | =140 | 419 | +1% | 1 in 864 |
| 2008 | 138 | 413 | +14% | 1 in 879 |
| 2007 | =147 | 362 | -8% | 1 in 979 |
| 2006 | =136 | 394 | -3% | 1 in 869 |
| 2005 | 129 | 407 | +12% | 1 in 812 |
| 2004 | 134 | 365 | +15% | 1 in 900 |
| 2003 | 143 | 318 | +46% | 1 in 1,001 |
| 2002 | 172 | 218 | +11% | 1 in 1,404 |
| 2001 | 176 | 197 | +8% | 1 in 1,546 |
| 2000 | =185 | 182 | +52% | 1 in 1,701 |
| 1999 | 248 | 120 | +52% | 1 in 2,660 |
| 1998 | =320 | 79 | +88% | 1 in 4,125 |
| 1997 | =462 | 42 | -11% | 1 in 7,847 |
| 1996 | =427 | 47 | 1 in 7,095 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Cole
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Cole is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate