Erik Cole
There are approximately 94 people named Erik Cole living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 3,646,323 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Erik with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Cole. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
94
1 in 3,646,323
Named Erik
149K
Alive today
Named Cole
216K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 149K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1980
Average age: 38
Top Census group: White (63.3%)
Estimated bearers: 216K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #129
Per 100K: 62.89
Top ancestry: White (71.7%)
First name trend
Erik: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Erik. The peak year was 1980 with 4,955 births. The average person named Erik today is 38 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Erik
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Erik, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 63.3%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Erik described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Erik at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White63.3% · 87,108
- Hispanic or Latino28.1% · 38,730
- Black or African American3.9% · 5,393
- Two or more races2.7% · 3,779
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 2,107
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 518
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Cole surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Cole, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 71.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Cole described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Cole at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White71.7% · 134,867
- Black or African American19.0% · 35,808
- Two or more races4.5% · 8,440
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 6,274
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,324
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1,276
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Erik has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0435% of the US population, based on 148,999 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Erik right now.
The surname Cole appears at a rate of 62.89 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0629%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 94 people with the full name Erik Cole. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Erik
Related
Other people with the surname Cole
FAQ
Erik Cole: questions and answers
How many people are named Erik Cole?
We estimate approximately 94 people in the United States share the full name Erik Cole. That works out to about 1 in 3,646,323 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0435%) with the surname frequency (62.89 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Erik Cole?
We classify Erik Cole as "Very Rare". About 1 in 3,646,323 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Erik a male or female name?
Erik is predominantly male. Out of 157,566 total SSA registrations, 99.6% were male and 0.4% were female. See the full Erik profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many people have the full name Erik Cole?
If you just want to know how many people are called Erik Cole, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.