Cornelius

Did you know?

A few things about Cornelius you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Cornelius

Cornelius Ryan

Irish American journalist (1920–1974)

Choose Cornelius and your child shares a first name with Cornelius Ryan, an Irish American journalist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Cornelius, like who?” Cornelius Ryan's Wikipedia article is available in 31 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Cornelius Ryan on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Joop van Bilsen for Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 20,833 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Cornelius, 82 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Cornelius would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryCornelius has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Corneliuss, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1882, when it ranked #130. Today it's #1,906, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowCornelius was 2.2× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 9,488 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 20,833.
• 🍂TrendCornelius has slipped 394 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,906. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedCornelius is most popular in Michigan, where it ranks #905. It's in the top 1,000 in 1 state.
• 💬MeaningIn Latin, Cornelius means “horn”. Our records link it to Greek and Latin roots.

About the name Cornelius

Cornelius is a boy name of Greek and Latin origin meaning “horn”. It has 9 letters and 3 syllables, starting with C and ending in “-ius”. US birth records list Cornelius for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1882, when it ranked #130 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,906, with 82 babies.

Origin:Greek namesLatin names