Given name & surname
Cornelia
“referring to a horn”·“refers to a horn”
Cornelia is a feminine form of Cornelius. One Latin interpretation is “refers to a horn.” Its derivation is not certain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Latin use, Cornelia carries the interpretation “referring to a horn.” Cornelia is a feminine form of Cornelius. One Latin interpretation is “refers to a horn.” Its derivation is not certain.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
How it developed
Cornelia is used as a feminine counterpart of Cornelius.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Cornelia through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 22,102
- 26 boys · 22,076 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 477 babies
- 2025
- 51
- #3,138 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +25%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 51 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,138 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 25.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 477 in 1921. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 10,664 as a first name in 2020; 334 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Cornelia’s family of names
In Dutch usage, Cornelia has a diminutive in Lia. Cornelia is a feminine form of Cornelius. In German usage, Cornelia has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form Kornelia.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Cornelia has relatives in 17 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
23 related names in 17 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 23
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Liadiminutive · Dutch
- Neelashort form · German
- Corriediminutive · Dutch
- Nelashort form · German
- Cornellialikely variant
- Corpet form · Dutch
- Cornievariant
- Cornellevariant
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- Korneliavariant · German, Polish
- Cooniediminutive · gmw-ecg
- Neeltjenickname · Dutch
- Nelepet form · German, Estonian
- Neeleshort form · German
- Keikevariant · German
- Comnellavariant
- Cornelyavariant
- Cornelijavariant
- Cornelavariant
- Comeelijavariant
- Comnaliavariant
- Cokkiepet form
- Cornelievariant · German
- Nellekepet form
Across languages 16
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Cornelia
- Cornelia FunkeGerman author (born 1958)
- Corrie ten BoomDutch resistance hero and writer1892–1983
- Cornelia SorabjiIndian barrister, writer, and social reformer; first female graduate from Bombay University, first woman to study law at Oxford University; first Indian national to study at a British university (1866-1954)
- Cornelia FroboessGerman actressborn 1943
- Cornelia HütterAustrian alpine skierborn 1992
- Cornelia OschkenatGerman sprinter and hurdlerborn 1961
- Nycke GrootDutch handball playerborn 1988
- Cornelia FortAmerican aviator1919–1943
- Nele NeuhausGerman writerborn 1967
Characters named Cornelia: Cornelia Hale (W.I.T.C.H character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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