2000
#1,699
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,342
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.17
Uncommon Last name
Cornelius
A Roman family name derived from the Latin word "cornu," meaning "horn," likely referring to a horn-shaped feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,065 Americans carry the last name Cornelius. That puts it at #1,828 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,534 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cornelius surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cornelius with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,534
Census rank
#1,828
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,242 bearers of the surname Cornelius in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1828th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornelius, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cornelius
The surname Cornelius has its origins in ancient Rome, deriving from the Roman gens or clan name 'Cornelii'. The name is believed to have been derived from the Latin word 'cornu', meaning 'horn', possibly indicating a connection to a family that was involved in the horn trade or had some association with horns.
In the early days of Rome, the Cornelii were a prominent patrician family, and several members held important positions in the Roman Republic and Empire. One of the most notable figures was Cornelius Sulla, a Roman dictator who ruled from 82 to 79 BC.
As the Roman Empire expanded, the name Cornelius spread throughout Europe, often appearing in various spelling variations such as Corneli, Cornelii, and Cornelius. The name can be found in various medieval records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landholdings in England following the Norman Conquest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Cornelius is in the 12th century, when a Flemish knight named Arnout Cornelius participated in the Third Crusade (1189-1192). In the 13th century, a Cornelius de Bredene is mentioned in the records of the County of Flanders.
During the Renaissance period, several notable individuals bore the surname Cornelius. These include the Dutch Renaissance humanist Cornelius Agrippa (1486-1535), known for his work 'De Occulta Philosophia', and the Dutch painter Cornelius van Haarlem (1562-1638), known for his innovative use of light and shadow.
In the 17th century, the Dutch philosopher and mathematician Cornelius Drebbel (1572-1633) made significant contributions to the development of the microscope and the study of optics. Around the same time, the English playwright Thomas Cornelius (1592-1672) was known for his works such as 'The Tragedy of Marc Antony'.
In the 19th century, the American businessman and philanthropist Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877) established the Vanderbilt family's wealth through shipping and railroad empires. Another notable figure was the German-American artist Cornelius Gurlitt (1820-1901), known for his historical paintings and portraits.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cornelius
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornelius, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cornelius bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cornelius surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.9% · 13,442
- Black or African American18.7% · 3,601
- Two or more races4.5% · 867
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 628
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 487
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 217
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cornelius
Cornelius appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,160
+818 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 6.83
Rank movement Down 76 places
2020
#1,828
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,242
-918 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 6.44
Rank movement Down 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,699 | 19,342 | 7.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,775 | 20,160 | 6.83 | +818 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 76 places |
| 2020 | #1,828 | 19,242 | 6.44 | -918 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 53 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cornelius surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,775 | #1,828 | -3.0% |
| Count | 20,160 | 19,242 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 6.83 | 6.44 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cornelius bearers went from 20,160 to 19,242 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,775 to #1,828.
FAQ
Cornelius surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cornelius?
Name Census estimates that about 22,065 living Americans carry the surname Cornelius. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,534 residents.
How common is Cornelius?
Cornelius ranks #1,828 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,242 people with the surname Cornelius. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,065), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Cornelius.
Has Cornelius become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cornelius went from 20,160 recorded bearers to 19,242. That is a decrease of 918 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,775 to #1,828.
What does the Census say about the background of Cornelius?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornelius, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cornelius in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.9% (13,442 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cornelius appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.9%), Black (18.7%), Two or More Races (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cornelius (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cornelius mean?
A Roman family name derived from the Latin word "cornu," meaning "horn," likely referring to a horn-shaped feature. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cornelius (6.44 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Cornelius?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.