Cornelius
Cornelius is an originally Roman masculine name. Its derivation is uncertain but is suspected to be from the Latin cornu, "horn". In Ireland it was used as an anglicization of the name Connor.
Meaning & Origin of Cornelius
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Cornelius is an originally Roman masculine name. Its derivation is uncertain but is suspected to be from the Latin cornu, "horn". In Ireland it was used as an anglicization of the name Connor.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Cornelius
Cornelius first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 92 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1974, when 486 Corneliuss were born — ranking #346 that year. As of 2026, Cornelius ranks #2,276 for baby boys with 63 births, falling sharply (-25%). In total, more than 36K Corneliuss have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Cornelius
Phonetically similar names — useful when Cornelius is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Cornelious
- Cornelia
- Corniness
- Corneous
- Carnitas
- Cornelian
- Cornwallis
- Corneas
- Cornella
- Carnelian
- Coriolis
- Carnalize
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cornelius
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About the name Cornelius
Cornelius is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 36K births in the dataset. Cornelius's peak popularity came in 1974 when it ranked #130. Use the chart and map above to compare Cornelius's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1974 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.