NameRealm
Cornelius

Cornelius: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“horn”
Origin
Latin
Say it
kor-NEEL-yəs · 4 syllables
Used for
Boys (98% of all uses)

Ancient Roman family name of uncertain origin, traditionally linked to Latin cornu 'horn'. It appears in the New Testament and in many European naming traditions.

English namesLatin namesClassic namesBiblical namesInternational names

How popular is Cornelius?

202420.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Cornelius in 202468

2024 rank#2,150 boys

Peak year1882

Total US babies since 188036,966

Cornelius is fading: recent use is about 65% of its level ten years before.

Names like Cornelius

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Casecase form of Cornelius or Casey surname · Dutch
  • Lucasfrom Lucania · Latin
  • Leolion · Latin
  • Julianyouthful, downy-bearded · Latin
  • Anthonyof the Antonius family · Latin
  • RomanRoman, from Rome · Latin
  • Bennettblessed · Latin
  • Adrianfrom Hadria · Latin

Cornelius questions

What does the name Cornelius mean?

Cornelius means "horn". It comes from Latin. Ancient Roman family name of uncertain origin, traditionally linked to Latin cornu 'horn'. It appears in the New Testament and in many European naming traditions.

Is Cornelius a boy or girl name?

Cornelius is mainly a boy's name in US records (98% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Cornelius?

68 US babies were named Cornelius in 2024. Its peak year was 1882.

How do you pronounce Cornelius?

Cornelius is usually pronounced kor-NEEL-yəs.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.