2000
#6,254
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,028
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.86
Rare Last name
Cool
An English surname derived from a nickname for a fashionable or composed person, or from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,607 Americans carry the last name Cool. That puts it at #6,636 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,130 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cool surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cool with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,130
Census rank
#6,636
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,890 bearers of the surname Cool in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6636th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cool, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cool
The surname COOL is of English origin and can be traced back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a descriptive nickname referring to a person's temperament or disposition, with the Old English word "col" meaning "cool" or "calm."
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname COOL can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1230, where a certain William Cool is listed as a taxpayer. This suggests that the name was already established in parts of northern England by the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various spellings such as "Coole," "Colles," and "Coles" in various records and documents from different regions of England, indicating its widespread use and variations in spelling due to regional dialects and scribal practices of the time.
Some notable individuals with the surname COOL throughout history include Sir John Cool (c. 1520-1594), an English politician and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was Thomas Cool (1677-1738), an English botanist and collector of plants, who contributed significantly to the study of flora in the early 18th century.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname COOL was also associated with several place names in England, such as Cool Pilate in Hampshire and Cool Dickering in Yorkshire, suggesting that some branches of the family may have derived their surname from these locations or been among the earliest settlers in those areas.
In the 19th century, one of the most notable individuals with the surname COOL was Benjamin Cool (1814-1890), an American architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Church of the Holy Trinity and the New York Produce Exchange building.
Another significant figure was Elizabeth Cool (1862-1938), an American educator and suffragist who played an active role in the women's rights movement and served as the president of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs.
While the surname COOL is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cool
Among Census respondents with the surname Cool, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cool bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cool surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 4,322
- Two or more races3.8% · 186
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 152
- Black or African American3.0% · 149
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cool
Cool appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,958
-70 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Down 547 places
2020
#6,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,890
-68 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Up 165 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,254 | 5,028 | 1.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,801 | 4,958 | 1.68 | -70 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 547 places |
| 2020 | #6,636 | 4,890 | 1.64 | -68 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 165 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cool surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,801 | #6,636 | 2.4% |
| Count | 4,958 | 4,890 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.68 | 1.64 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cool bearers went from 4,958 to 4,890 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 165 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,801 to #6,636.
FAQ
Cool surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cool?
Name Census estimates that about 5,607 living Americans carry the surname Cool. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,130 residents.
How common is Cool?
Cool ranks #6,636 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,890 people with the surname Cool. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,607), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Cool.
Has Cool become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cool went from 4,958 recorded bearers to 4,890. That is a decrease of 68 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,801 to #6,636.
What does the Census say about the background of Cool?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cool, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cool in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (4,322 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cool appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cool (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cool mean?
An English surname derived from a nickname for a fashionable or composed person, or from a place name. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cool (1.64 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Cool?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Cool, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.