Given name & surname
Cornelius
“refers to a horn”
Cornelius is used as a given name and a surname. One Latin interpretation is “refers to a horn.” Its derivation is not certain.
Original GreekΚορνηλιος
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Latin interpretation is “refers to a horn.” Its derivation is not certain.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Latin, although the derivation remains uncertain.
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
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Cornelius appears in Acts 10:1, Acts 8:35, Acts 8:5 and 3 other passages.
- Acts 10:1
- Acts 8:35
- Acts 8:5
- Acts 10:5
- Acts 10:28
- Acts 10:46
From biblical name research
Cornelius through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 37,049
- 36,407 boys · 642 girls
- Most popular year
- 1974
- 498 babies
- 2025
- 82
- #1,908 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −27%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 82 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,908 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 27.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 486 in 1974. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (10). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 17,595 as a first name in 2020; 19,242 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.
Cornelius’s family of names
In English usage, Cornelius has a diminutive in Connie. Cornelius has a feminine form in Cornelia. Cornelius has a related form in Cornell.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Cornelius has relatives in 22 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
26 related names in 22 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 22
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 23
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Cornelius
- Chevy ChaseAmerican actor, comedian and writer (born 1943)
- Cornelius VanderbiltAmerican businessman and tycoon (1794–1877)
- Cornelius CastoriadisGreek-French philosopher (1922–1997)
- Cornelius JansenBishop and theologian (1585-1638)
- Cornel WildeHungarian-American actor and film director1912–1989
- Cornelius RyanIrish American journalist (1920–1974)
- Cornelius SimCatholic bishop (1951–2021)
- Cornelius A. Smith11th governor-general of The Bahamas (born 1937)
- Cornelius JohnsonAmerican high jumper (1913–1946)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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