How Many People Are Named Cornelius?
people named Cornelius are alive in the United States today (estimate)
About 1 in 16,743 people in the US has this name
Based on 37,049 babies named Cornelius in Social Security records from 1880 to 2025, and the share of each birth year still alive in 2025.
Popularity Rank
💎 Rare
Peak Year
498 births
Trend
Stable (last 10 years)
📖 Name Origin & Meaning
Meaning:
Roman family name which possibly derives from the Latin element cornu "horn". In Acts in the New Testament Cornelius is a centurion who is directed by an angel to seek Peter. After speaking with Peter he converts to Christianity, and he is traditionally deemed the first gentile convert. The name was also borne by a few early saints, including a 3rd-century pope. In England it came into use in the 16th century, partly due to Dutch influence.
Source of the meaning, origin, pronunciation and related names: Behind the Name.
⚧ Gender Distribution
Of the babies given the name Cornelius, 1.4% were girls and 98.6% were boys.
👥 Age Distribution
The average person named Cornelius alive today is about 45 years old, and 51% are between 30 and 59. Half of them were between 31 and 61 in 2025.
📈 Popularity Over Time
Cornelius first appears in the records in 1880 and was given most often in 1974, to 498 babies. In 2025, 82 babies got the name.
Babies given the name each year, 1880 to 2025
🏆 Rank History
Cornelius has never been one of the 100 most popular boys' names. Its best rank was #130, in 1882. In 2025 it ranked #1,908.
| Boys | |
|---|---|
| Rank in 2025 | #1,908 |
| Best rank | #130 (1882) |
| Years in the top 100 | None |
| Rank in its biggest decade | #426 in the 1980s |
📍 State-Wise Distribution
People named Cornelius alive today, by the state where they were born (estimate; state records start in 1910).
More people named Cornelius were born in Florida than in any other state: about 1,541 of those alive today. Compared with the national rate in the same years, Cornelius was given 3.9 times as often in Mississippi, 3.1 times in Alabama and 2.5 times in Louisiana.
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