How Many People Are Named Cornelius?
An estimated 21,420 people in the United States have the first name Cornelius. It is predominantly male (98.3%). The average bearer is 48 years old, and Cornelius peaked in popularity in 1974 with 498 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Cornelius as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Cornelius paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Cornelius is overwhelmingly male, 642 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
21,420
About 1 in 16,002 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
98.3% confidence
Average Age
48
years old
Peak Year
1974
498 births
Total Registered
36,966
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Cornelius
Cornelius is predominantly male (98.3%), though 642 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Cornelius as a male name
Ranked #2,150 in 2024
68 male births in 2024
Peak: 1974 (486 births)
Cornelius as a female name
Ranked #13,423 in 1990
5 female births in 1990
Peak: 1923 (17 births)
Cornelius: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Cornelius span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1980s, when 4,153 babies were registered. Cornelius has declined significantly from its peak in the 1980s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Cornelius by Decade
How has Cornelius tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 918 | 911 | 7 | |
| 1890s | 870 | 853 | 17 | |
| 1900s | 991 | 956 | 35 | |
| 1910s | 3,137 | 3,066 | 71 | |
| 1920s | 4,143 | 4,021 | 122 | |
| 1930s | 3,200 | 3,122 | 78 | |
| 1940s | 2,781 | 2,733 | 48 | |
| 1950s | 3,276 | 3,216 | 60 | |
| 1960s | 2,830 | 2,775 | 55 | |
| 1970s | 4,046 | 3,975 | 71 | |
| 1980s | 4,153 | 4,080 | 73 | |
| 1990s | 2,896 | 2,891 | 5 | |
| 2000s | 1,923 | 1,923 | 0 | |
| 2010s | 1,360 | 1,360 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 442 | 442 | 0 | |
Cornelius by State
Birth registrations for Cornelius span all 40 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Illinois, Florida. The lowest are in Utah, Delaware, Alaska. On average, about 736 Corneliuss were registered per state.
Cornelius + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Cornelius as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Cornelius
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Cornelius: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cornelius?
We estimate approximately 21,420 people named Cornelius are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 16,002 Americans share this first name.
Is Cornelius a common name?
Cornelius is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 36,966 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Cornelius most popular?
Cornelius reached peak popularity in 1974, when 498 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Cornelius is approximately 48 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Cornelius a male name?
Cornelius is predominantly male. 98.3% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Cornelius Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Cornelius Smith, Cornelius Johnson, Cornelius Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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