How Many People Are Named Cornell?
An estimated 8,854 people in the United States have the first name Cornell. It is predominantly male (97.0%). The average bearer is 50 years old, and Cornell peaked in popularity in 1962 with 247 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Cornell 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 Cornell paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Cornell is overwhelmingly male, 348 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
8,854
About 1 in 38,712 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
97.0% confidence
Average Age
50
years old
Peak Year
1962
247 births
Total Registered
11,681
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Cornell
Cornell is predominantly male (97.0%), though 348 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Cornell as a male name
Ranked #4,438 in 2024
23 male births in 2024
Peak: 1962 (241 births)
Cornell as a female name
Ranked #8,680 in 1973
5 female births in 1973
Peak: 1952 (14 births)
Cornell: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Cornell span from the 1890s to the 2020s, covering 14 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 2,074 babies were registered. Cornell has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Cornell by Decade
How has Cornell 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.
Cornell by State
Birth registrations for Cornell span all 28 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Illinois, Louisiana, California. The lowest are in Nebraska, Kentucky, Arizona. On average, about 260 Cornells were registered per state.
Cornell + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Cornell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Cornell
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Cornell: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cornell?
We estimate approximately 8,854 people named Cornell 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 38,712 Americans share this first name.
Is Cornell a common name?
Cornell is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 97.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 11,681 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Cornell most popular?
Cornell reached peak popularity in 1962, when 247 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Cornell is approximately 50 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Cornell a male name?
Cornell is predominantly male. 97.0% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Cornell Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Cornell Smith, Cornell Johnson, Cornell 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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