NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Kol

A masculine name of Scandinavian origin meaning "charcoal" or "black".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Kol is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Kol popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5119, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2022, with 9 births.

This profile covers 19 England and Wales registrations across 4 recorded years from 2020 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 33% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 22 living people in the UK are called Kol. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Kol ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2022, when 9 boys were registered as Kol.
  • Kol ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #703 in 2022.
  • About 22 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kol as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#5119

2024

Births in 2024

3

Latest year

Peak year

2022

9 births

Estimated living

22

2026

Meaning

What does Kol mean?

The name Kol is derived from the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest Indo-European languages spoken in ancient India. The name can be traced back to the 5th century BCE, and it is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit word "kola," which means "branch" or "shoot."

In ancient Hindu mythology, Kol was the name of a sage or rishi who was known for his wisdom and spiritual teachings. He is mentioned in the Puranas, which are ancient Hindu texts that were composed between the 3rd and 10th centuries CE.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Kol can be found in the Mahabharata, an ancient Hindu epic poem that dates back to around the 8th century BCE. In the epic, there is a character named Kol Bhrigu, who was a renowned sage and the founder of the Bhrigu clan.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Kol. One of the most famous was Kol Kavat, a 7th-century CE Indian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of trigonometry.

Another prominent figure was Kol Nidre, a 13th-century Jewish scholar and composer who is best known for the prayer Kol Nidrei, which is recited on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

In the 16th century, there was Kol Bahadur, a Rajput warrior and military commander who served under the Mughal Empire in India. He was renowned for his bravery and loyalty to the Mughal ruler Akbar the Great.

In the 19th century, Kol Nath was a Hindu saint and spiritual leader who founded the Kol Nath Sampraday, a spiritual movement that emphasized the importance of devotion and service to humanity.

Another notable figure was Kol Seman, a 20th-century Indonesian writer and activist who played a significant role in the country's struggle for independence from Dutch colonial rule.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Kol over time

The chart below shows babies named Kol registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2020 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Kol, the clearest high point is 2022. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 9 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Kol
02579202020222024

Decades

Kol by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kol was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #4009 19 4

Geography

Where Kol is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kol. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Kol ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #703 in 2022.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Kol in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#703 in 2022

1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered

Related

Names similar to Kol

FAQ

Kol: questions and answers

How popular is the name Kol in the UK right now?

In 2024, Kol was ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Kol most popular?

The peak year on record was 2022, with 9 babies registered as Kol in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Kol?

A masculine name of Scandinavian origin meaning "charcoal" or "black".

How many people are called Kol in the UK?

A total of 19 babies have been registered as Kol across the 4 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.

Where is Kol most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Kol ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #703 in 2022. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.