Boy · Latin, through Dutch
Cornelis
Say it: kor-NAY-lis
Meaning
Dutch form of the Roman family name Cornelius, whose origin is uncertain.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
A leading man's name in New Netherland; the Vanderbilt name Cornelius continued it in English form.
Its wave through time
Rare in the records
In the United States
- 25 babies given this name since 1946
- At its height in 1946, about 1 in 324,800 boys
- Fewer than 5 babies a year in 2020
Through the ages
- The Renaissance1400 to 1600
- The Colonial Americas1500 to 1800
- The Age of Revolutions1750 to 1837
- Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Kees, Cornelius
| English | Cornelius |
|---|---|
| German | Cornelius |
Famous bearers
- Cornelis de Witt, statesman
- Cornelis Vermuyden, engineer
- Cornelis Jacobsz May, Dutch explorer for whom Cape May is named
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Parish baptism registers
- Colonial records of the Americas
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.