The English surname Cole, also found in Ireland and Scotland, is derived from a Middle English personal name derived from the Old English byname Cola (from col ‘(char)coal’, presumably denoting someone of swarthy appearance), or the Old Norse cognate Koli. When found in Scotland and Ireland this is a reduced and altered form of the Gaelic name McCool. The first written reference to the name is Randolphi Cole, who was registered in The Winton Rolls of Hampshire in 1148. One of the earliest settlers in the American colonies was Edward Coles, who on June 15th 1635, at the age of 20 yrs, embarked on the ship 'Thomas and John' of London, bound for Virginia.  Learn how you can get the cole family crest on custom jewelry here.