Kole is a K spelling of Cole, an English surname that comes either from the Old English nickname Cola, "coal-black" or "swarthy", or from a short form of Nicholas, "victory of the people". The respelling with K follows the same path as Kade and Kolton and gives the name a slightly rugged, Western feel. Kole stood at number 686 in 2000, peaked at number 587 in 2010 and dropped out of the US top 1000 in 2022; it ranks number 1,247 in 2025.