The Coles surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 14,449 people carried this name — #2,505 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 20,400 people counted. That is up 6% from 13,641 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Coles surname

A surname originating as a patronymic.

From Cole + -s (“patronymic suffix”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Coles» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Nicholas’.

An early record he cites: Johannes Cole, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Cole and Coles.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 194 · public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 55 people named Coles live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Jujuy.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Jujuy 25
Buenos Aires Province 15
Salta 15

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 35 people named Coles.

Most of them — 19 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 4 départements, most often Gironde.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 19
Gironde 8
Somme 5
Aude 2
Paris 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Coles was found among the farmers of 7 counties.

It was most frequent in Somerset: 40 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 250. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Somerset 40
Oxfordshire 30
Dorset 27
Devon 26
Hampshire 21
Northamptonshire 20
Warwickshire 18

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Coles was recorded 11 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1788th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 10. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Coles in American newspapers,
1828–1901.

Newspaper page from The New Hampshire Gazette carrying the name Coles
The New Hampshire Gazette 1828-06-10
Newspaper page from The Portland Daily Press carrying the name Coles
The Portland Daily Press 1894-06-26
Newspaper page from El Paso Daily Herald carrying the name Coles
El Paso Daily Herald 1901-02-05

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 29,530 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Coles in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.

73,501 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Coles. The most, 18,423, date from the 1940s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in South Australia, at 2.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 24,630
New South Wales 18,725
Victoria 15,015
Queensland 7,864
Western Australia 4,311
Tasmania 2,108
ACT (Canberra) 599
Northern Territory 112

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Coles.

Who carried it

People named Coles,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Louise Coles d. 2020 · politician
  • Louisa Barbara Beck d. 1969
  • Isabella Coles d. 1747
  • Florence Elizabeth Coles d. 1950
  • Jane Coles d. 1824
  • Julia Coles d. 1937

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Coles,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,895 records

1,895 records of the Coles name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 653
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 444
  • Other U.S. records 798
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Lawrence E. Coles

    Born 1921 in West Virginia. Enlisted 1942 at Huntington; miner. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery, Owings Mills, Maryland.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Louise Coles

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the City of Montreal from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 19; servant. From Huntington, England; bound for Buffalo.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Vincent Samson Coles

    Born 1950; from Newark, New Jersey. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1968 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,895 records for Coles in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia1,694 records

1,694 records of the Coles name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,048
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 252
  • Other Australian records 394
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Coles

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Cressy, sailing from Plymouth in 1843. Native of Somerset. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1847. Married 1847 in Spring Bay, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Coles

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Duncan, sailing from Sheerness in 1840. Native of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1844. Married 1844 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 25.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Coles

    Arrived in Victoria in 1858 aboard the Donald McKay, aged 30; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,694 records for Coles in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada141 records

141 records of the Coles name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 63
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 23
  • Other Canadian records 55
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Mary Coles

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Clinton, bound for Annapolis and St Johns, aged 23.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thomas Coles

    Came to Ontario in 1875 aboard the Moravian, landing at Quebec, bound for Orangeville, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Dalton George Coles

    Buried in 1974 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 76.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 141 records for Coles in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom99 records

99 records of the Coles name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 70
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 21
  • Other British records 8
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Richard Ambrose Coles

    Born 1871 at Petersfield. Served in the First World War. Named in the University of Aberdeen roll of service in the Great War, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Eliza Coles

    Will proved in 1889; of Llangadwaladr, Anglesea.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Anne Coles

    Buried in 1851 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 53.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 99 records for Coles in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand37 records

37 records of the Coles name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 34
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Winton John Coles

    Died 1946, aged 76; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Leslie Francis Coles

    Died 1998, aged 78; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sylvia Rita May Coles

    Died 2001, aged 87; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 37 records for Coles in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands28 records

28 records of the Coles name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 14
  • Dutch population registers 11
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Hendrica Coles

    Died 1863 in Maasbree, aged 31.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Andries Coles

    Married in 1732 in Oud en Nieuw Gastel.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Sara Coles

    Married in 1652 in Vlissingen.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 28 records for Coles in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France5 records

5 records of the Coles name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Nicole Coles

    Born 1935 in Paris; died 1996 in Amiens (Somme).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Gabriel Pierre Joseph Coles

    Born 1892 in Carbon-Blanc; died 1974 in Lormont (Gironde).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 5 records for Coles in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Ireland1 record

1 record of the Coles name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Harriet Coles

    Died 1943; buried at St Thomas, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Coles name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Peter Coles

    From Oudler, Malmedy. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 3 October 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Coles.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Coles is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Coles volume
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