Cornelius

Spellings & scripts●

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 13 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Cornelius is also recorded as 4 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Spanish given name34K records spelled Cornelius28 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Brazil, Mexico, United States, Argentina

  Languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian

  Also written Cornelio, Cornélio, Çornelio, Córnelio, Cörnëlïö

• a separate given name12K records spelled Cornelius2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, India, Netherlands, United Kingdom

  Also written Cornélius

• Danish given name8.0K records spelled Cornelius15 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Denmark, Norway, United States, South Africa

  Languages: Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian

  Also written Kornelius, Cornélius, Kornelíus, Çörnêlíüs

• French surname7.3K records spelled Cornelius8 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, United States, Belgium, South Africa

  Also written Corneille, Corneli, Cornélius, Cornéli, Côrñëlíus

64 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Cornelius is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• Cornelius is a classic and distinguished masculine name of Latin origin, meaning "horn." It is associated with the biblical centurion respected for his piety, generosity, and profound faith. The story of Cornelius represents a key moment of inclusion and openness in Christian history, making the name a symbol of faith that transcends cultural boundaries.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name Cornelius is a Roman family name from the 'gens Cornelia', one of the most distinguished families of ancient Rome. It is widely believed to derive from the Latin word "cornu," meaning "horn".

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• In Irish, Latin name, perhaps ‘horned one’; used to anglicise Connor.

  as a name·Irish first names

• In English, Latin Cornelius; not found as an English name until the 16th century, when it was brought back by returning sectaries; first attested Leuekyn Cornelys 1354 (ColchCt)

  as a name·A Dictionary of English Surnames

• In German, Latinized surname in -ius; from Cornelius. Bearer count: 1654. Variant form: Kornelius. Demonstrates humanist Latinization (morphological transposition).

  as a name·Deutscher Familiennamenatlas, Band 3: Morphologie der Familiennamen

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Cornelius Jansenb. 1585NLBishop and theologian (1585-1638)
• Cornelius Vanderbiltb. 1794USAmerican businessman and tycoon (1794–1877)
• Jacobus Kapteynb. 1851NLnot in their usual nameDutch astronomer, best known for his extensive studies of the Milky Way and as the first discoverer of evidence for galactic rotation (1851-1922)
• Cor van Goghb. 1867NLnot in their usual nameDutch draughtsperson and soldier
• John C. Stennisb. 1901USnot in their usual nameAmerican politician (1901-1995)
• Cornel Wildeb. 1912USnot in their usual nameHungarian-American actor and film director
• Cornelius Castoriadisb. 1922FRGreek-French philosopher (1922–1997)
• Sam Phillipsb. 1923USnot in their usual nameAmerican businessman, record executive, record producer and DJ (1923–2003)
• Connie Mack IIIb. 1940USnot in their usual nameAmerican politician from Florida
• Chevy Chaseb. 1943USnot in their usual nameAmerican actor, comedian and writer (born 1943)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 751 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Cornelius?

We estimate roughly 23 thousand people bear Cornelius (counting its spellings and scripts) across 7 countries in our records.

In which country does Cornelius have the most bearers?

Cornelius is most frequently recorded in the Netherlands, where it is most often spelled cornelius.

How common is Cornelius compared with other names?

In the Netherlands, Cornelius is the 274th most common given name of 134,847 given names recorded there.

Is Cornelius a male or female name?

Cornelius is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Cornelius mean?

Recorded meaning: From the personal name Cornelius, probably a derivative of cornu ‘horn’.