Cornelius Surname

9,708th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 58,175 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Antigua and Barbuda

Cornelius Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Cornelius.' This is not an English surname. At least I find no trace of the font-name on English soil in the 13th, 13th, and 14th centuries, the period when font-names were being turned into permanent surnames.

Read More About This Surname

Cornelius Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States27,6671:13,1011,629
South Africa8,1151:6,676862
Germany4,9561:16,2442,144
Ghana3,1861:8,4811,157
Nigeria2,8451:62,2654,615
England2,1431:26,0003,557
Australia1,1781:22,9173,158
Brazil1,0881:196,7597,578
Canada9661:38,1424,796
Guyana6621:1,151177
Kenya6451:71,5976,756
New Zealand4911:9,2231,594
Wales3351:9,2371,017
Indonesia3261:405,67234,327
Namibia3141:7,6731,482
Antigua and Barbuda2811:35350
Denmark2181:25,8932,643
India2171:3,534,864100,127
Netherlands2091:80,80013,556
Sweden1901:51,8253,994
Papua New Guinea1581:51,6066,482
Fiji1571:5,6971,113
Malaysia1391:212,18912,377
Malawi1311:130,68014,293
Tanzania1171:452,49231,593
Singapore1071:51,4741,981
United States Virgin Islands1031:1,072161
Scotland1021:52,4884,471
Argentina901:474,92735,376
Saint Kitts and Nevis831:665136
France781:851,573100,617
Botswana611:35,8517,015
Micronesia531:2,005429
Uruguay531:64,7506,938
Thailand471:1,502,944203,155
Cameroon461:451,50137,608
Austria381:224,09027,245
Switzerland381:216,12918,575
Trinidad and Tobago351:38,9713,714
Dominican Republic311:336,54611,471
United Arab Emirates311:295,55719,854
Solomon Islands271:21,4834,219
Colombia251:1,910,96311,972
Chile211:838,88017,964
Pakistan191:9,402,31046,838
Qatar191:124,10514,725
Suriname191:29,0855,642
Venezuela181:1,678,00421,578
Guam161:10,0081,526
Sudan161:2,344,3874,438
Uganda151:2,602,61975,106
Liberia131:339,11818,650
Norway131:395,56035,657
Russia131:11,086,389347,183
China111:124,301,9616,553
Belize101:35,5472,218
British Virgin Islands101:3,159366
Jamaica101:286,9957,581
Northern Ireland91:205,0049,958
Dominica91:8,432394
Finland91:610,74534,002
Italy91:6,795,188113,457
Ecuador81:1,988,23121,385
Paraguay81:904,5939,127
Spain71:6,678,86292,666
Zimbabwe71:2,205,46397,905
Philippines61:16,873,037249,062
Luxembourg51:116,1086,306
Mexico51:24,825,24158,251
Romania51:4,015,57458,306
Bangladesh41:39,839,19317,324
Hong Kong41:1,833,8716,220
Iceland41:95,0224,787
Sri Lanka41:5,202,14012,146
Belgium31:3,832,215117,288
Japan31:42,614,76459,022
Saint Lucia31:59,5942,472
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines31:37,5531,173
Ireland21:2,354,47019,715
Bahamas21:195,8761,708
Costa Rica21:2,390,03410,205
Greece21:5,539,895129,142
Israel21:4,278,817136,311
Puerto Rico21:1,775,0706,602
South Korea21:25,620,1284,175
Turkey21:38,910,711171,901
Zambia21:7,924,96145,994
Afghanistan11:32,153,18360,828
Anguilla11:13,436792
Armenia11:2,930,18022,770
Azerbaijan11:9,649,12247,873
Bahrain11:1,348,60810,432
Barbados11:287,4482,772
Belarus11:9,501,059159,228
Cambodia11:15,487,14614,824
Cayman Islands11:63,8932,384
Chad11:13,592,19913,092
Czechia11:10,633,469206,023
Estonia11:1,321,80440,178
Grenada11:108,5351,793
Guernsey11:64,4392,137
Honduras11:8,816,4429,272
Hungary11:9,816,27773,288
Iraq11:35,021,65431,813
Isle of Man11:85,8224,091
Ivory Coast11:23,071,23276,679
Jersey11:99,2026,620
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Kuwait11:3,800,69427,187
North Macedonia11:2,101,47231,546
Malta11:430,2723,380
Monaco11:37,0664,748
Myanmar11:51,937,9852,166
Oman11:3,687,97114,390
Panama11:3,912,25817,195
Peru11:31,784,12364,452
Poland11:38,008,749231,653
Saudi Arabia11:30,855,81763,028
Sierra Leone11:7,089,6311,533
Taiwan11:23,444,74693,622
Togo11:7,247,76812,049
Ukraine11:45,522,696503,646
Uzbekistan11:30,929,14267,786
Vanuatu11:263,2762,086
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland271:164,0698,499
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England7261:33,5754,425
Wales981:16,004951
Scotland311:120,7495,564
Guernsey61:5,443949
Jersey11:51,8823,898
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States3,8921:12,9031,656

The alternate forms: Cornélius (7) are calculated separately.

Cornelius (140,519) may also be a first name.

Cornelius Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Cornelius.' This is not an English surname. At least I find no trace of the font-name on English soil in the 13th, 13th, and 14th centuries, the period when font-names were being turned into permanent surnames. Cornelius and Cornelia became very popular in the Low Countries through the fact that relics of the martyred Pope Cornelius were placed in the Chapter of Rosnay, in Flanders (v. Yonge). The actress, Theresa Cornelys (1723-97) took the name from Cornelis de Rigerboos, a gentleman at Amsterdam (Dictionary of National Biography xii. 333). Lucas Cornelisz (1495-1553), historical painter, was son of Cornelis Engelbrechtsen, of Leyden (ibid.). It is true John Cornelius (1557-94), the Jesuit, was born at Bodmin, Cornwall, but his parents were Irish (ibid..), and Cornelius (pet Corney) has been a popular font-name in the Emerald Isle for many centuries.

1571. Baptised — Jeames Cornrye son of Cornelias, a stranger: St. Michael, Cornhill.

1577. Married — Peter Boney and Christian Cornelis: ibid.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

(Latin) Horny, or Horn- Coloured [Latin Cornelius: cp. corneolus, diminutive of corneus, horny, horn-coloured; cornu, horn, &c.] This name and its Anglicized diminu­tive Corney have sometimes been adopted in Ireland as substitutes for the native Conor and other Irish Connames.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

“Son of the Crown” in Latin (Corona).

South African Surnames (1965) by Eric Rosenthal

(English) Descendant of Cornelius (hornlike).

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

The personal name.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

From the Latin cornu, a horn (Greek, κέρας); and ήλιος, the sun—the horn of the sun.

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

User-submitted Reference

Cornelisse is a Dutch surname meaning 'son of Cornelis'.

Cornelis is derived from the Roman (Latin) name Cornelius, which came from the Latin word horn.

This makes Cornelisse roughly mean 'son of someone who played the horn'.

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Cornelius Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Cornelius Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Cornelius (Hindi: कोरनेलियुस, Marathi: कॉनलीउस, Oriya: କେର୍ଲିୟୁସ) is found in The United States more than any other country or territory. It can also appear as a variant: Cornélius. For other possible spellings of Cornelius click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Cornelius? popularity and diffusion

This last name is the 9,708th most prevalent family name internationally. It is borne by approximately 1 in 125,269 people. Cornelius is predominantly found in The Americas, where 50 percent of Cornelius reside; 46 percent reside in North America and 46 percent reside in Anglo-North America. Cornelius is also the 7,445th most frequently held first name globally, borne by 140,519 people.

The surname is most numerous in The United States, where it is borne by 27,667 people, or 1 in 13,101. In The United States it is primarily concentrated in: Texas, where 11 percent are found, California, where 7 percent are found and Alabama, where 6 percent are found. Apart from The United States this last name occurs in 123 countries. It is also common in South Africa, where 14 percent are found and Germany, where 9 percent are found.

Cornelius Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The frequency of Cornelius has changed over time. In The United States the number of people bearing the Cornelius last name rose 711 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it rose 295 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it rose 342 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it rose 329 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it decreased 93 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Cornelius Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those holding the last name is primarily Catholic (52%) in Ireland and Christian (100%) in Kenya.

In The United States those bearing the Cornelius surname are 21.22% more likely to be registered Republicans than The US average, with 67.99% registered with the party.

The amount Cornelius earn in different countries varies markedly. In Norway they earn 27.11% less than the national average, earning 252,269 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 14.28% more than the national average, earning R 271,572 per year; in Colombia they earn 32.59% less than the national average, earning $15,303,500 COP per year; in United States they earn 3.49% less than the national average, earning $41,645 USD per year and in Canada they earn 1.56% more than the national average, earning $50,456 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

Cornelius Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Cornelius in the Oriya language
କେର୍ଲିୟୁସkerliyusa56.67
କେର୍ଲିୟୂସkerliyusa10
କର୍ଲିୟୁସkarliyusa3.33
କେର୍ଳିୟୁସkerliyusa3.33
କେର୍ଲିୟସkerliyasa3.33
କରେନଲିୟୁସkarenaliyusa3.33
କେର୍ଲୁୟୁସkerluyusa3.33
କେର୍ଲିଉସ୍kerli'us3.33
କରେନଲିଶୁkarenalisu3.33
କେର୍ଲୁସkerlusa3.33
କେର୍ଲିଉସkerli'usa3.33
କେନଲିୟୁସkenaliyusa3.33
Cornelius in the Hindi language
कोरनेलियुसkoraneliyusa50
कनिलियसkaniliyasa50
Cornelius in the Marathi language
कॉनलीउसkonali'usa38.46
कोरनेिलउसkoraneila'usa15.38
कोरनेलीयसkoraneliyasa15.38
कॉरनेलीयसkoraneliyasa15.38
कॉनेलुईसkonelu'isa15.38

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Cornelius Reference & Research

Cornelius DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.

Cornelius FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Cornelius
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis