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Irish surname

Cole: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Cól · 'son of Cole' (Norse Colr or Kolr, also in use among the Anglo-Saxons)

Woulfe (1923) prints Cole as Cól, 'son of Cole' (Norse Colr or Kolr, also used among the Anglo-Saxons). He says a family of the name settled in Fermanagh at the time of the plantation of Ulster, 'but most of our Coles are of Irish origin'. Matheson's 1890 birth index lists 37 entries including spelling varieties (36 spelled Cole).

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Coat of arms associated with the Cole surname
Irish formCól
Meaning'son of Cole' (Norse Colr or Kolr, also in use among the Anglo-Saxons)
CountiesFermanagh, Dublin, Londonderry, Armagh
Other spellings4
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Cole crest gifts

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Origin of the Cole name

Woulfe: Cól, 'son of Cole' (Norse Colr or Kolr, also in use among the Anglo-Saxons; Cole appears in Domesday Book). A family settled in Fermanagh at the plantation of Ulster, 'but most of our Coles are of Irish origin'. He also prints Cole under Mac Dhubhghaill and Mac Giolla Chomhghaill. No single origin applies to every bearer.[1][2][3]

  1. 1607Sir William Cole, born in England, settles in Fermanagh and is granted 1,320 acres of escheated land.[6]
  2. 1617Sir William Cole is knighted by the Lord-Deputy.[6]
  3. 1776A descendant of Sir William Cole is created Viscount Enniskillen.[6]
  4. 189037 Cole birth entries in Ireland including spelling varieties (36 spelled Cole): Leinster 15, Munster 6, Ulster 13, Connaught 3.[4]

Where in Ireland

Co. FermanaghWoulfe: a family of the name settled here at the plantation of Ulster.[1]
Co. DublinMatheson 1890: first of the counties in which Cole was principally found.[4]
Co. LondonderryMatheson 1890: one of the counties in which Cole was principally found.[4]
Co. ArmaghMatheson 1890: one of the counties in which Cole was principally found.[4]
Co. DownMatheson 1890: one of the counties in which Cole was principally found.[4]

Notable people named Cole

Sir William Coled. 1653Born in England, settled in Fermanagh in 1607, first Provost of Enniskillen; garrisoned Enniskillen for Charles I in 1641.[6]

Other spellings

Coles · Coall · Culle · M'Cole[5]

The Cole coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Cole surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Cole surname: questions

What does the surname Cole mean?

Woulfe gives Cól, 'son of Cole', from the Norse Colr or Kolr, a name also used among the Anglo-Saxons and found in Domesday Book.[1]

Is Cole an Irish or an English name?

Woulfe says a family of this name settled in Fermanagh at the time of the plantation of Ulster, 'but most of our Coles are of Irish origin'. He also prints Cole among the anglicised forms of the Irish Mac Dhubhghaill and Mac Giolla Chomhghaill, so no single origin applies to every bearer.[1][2][3]

Where in Ireland were the Coles found in 1890?

Matheson lists 37 entries including spelling varieties (36 spelled Cole) in the 1890 birth indexes. He gives Dublin, Londonderry, Armagh, Down and King's as the counties in which it was principally found.[4]

Sources

  1. CÓL — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/c/col.php
  2. Mac DHUBHGHAILL — Irish Names and Surnames (Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macd/mac-dhubhghaill.php
  3. Mac GIOLLA CHOMHGHAILL — Irish Names and Surnames (Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macg/mac-giolla-chomhghaill.php
  4. Cole — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/cole.php
  5. Cole — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/301.php
  6. Cole, Sir William — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/SirWilliamCole.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).