Explore the Family Name Cornelius
The meaning of Cornelius
Dutch, German, Danish, and southern English: from the Latin personal name Cornelius (originally an old Roman surname, probably derived from cornu ‘horn’), borne by a 3rd-century pope and Christian saint. In England, this name is rarely found before the 16th century, when the name was brought to England from the Low Countries by Protestants, among whom it was also a popular name in the vernacular form Cornelis. In North America, this surname may also be an altered form of the German or Dutch variant Kornelius.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Cornelius in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Cornelius has seen a minor decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 1699th most popular surname in the United States, but by 2010, it had slipped to 1775th place – representing a change of -4.47%. Despite this drop in ranking, the actual count of people with the Cornelius surname increased from 19,342 to 20,160 during the same period, marking a growth rate of 4.23%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,699 | #1,775 | -4.47% |
| Count | 19,342 | 20,160 | 4.23% |
| Proportion per 100k | 7.17 | 6.83 | -4.74% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Cornelius
Concerning ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some shifts in the distribution of the Cornelius surname among different ethnic groups between 2000 and 2010. The largest percentage of people with this surname identified as White, although the proportion decreased slightly from 75.21% to 72.22%. The second highest demographic was the Black community, which saw an increase from 18.65% to 19.81%. Notably, there was substantial growth in the proportion of people with the Cornelius surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic, with increases of 70.59% and 68.79%, respectively. The proportion of individuals identifying with two or more races also increased by 37.82%. Conversely, there was a small decrease in the American Indian and Alaskan Native category, from 2.66% to 2.57%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 75.21% | 72.22% | -3.98% |
| Black | 18.65% | 19.81% | 6.22% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 2.66% | 2.57% | -3.38% |
| Hispanic | 1.41% | 2.38% | 68.79% |
| Two or More Races | 1.56% | 2.15% | 37.82% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.51% | 0.87% | 70.59% |
Cornelius ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Cornelius is British & Irish, which comprises 50.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (26.2%) and Scandinavian (4.1%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, Nigerian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 50.0% |
| French & German | 26.2% |
| Scandinavian | 4.1% |
| Other | 19.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Cornelius
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Cornelius have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 84.40% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 84.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 84.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 84.20% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 84.00% |
What Cornelius haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Cornelius is E-V13, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup E-V13 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include R-DF88 and R-M405, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Sargent, Calhoun, Hubbard, Spencer, Goode, Grove, Gage, Pappas, Huffman, Acevedo.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Cornelius surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96
Your paternal lineage may be linked to early Balkan migrants
Haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a migrated in large numbers from the Balkans into Europe about 4,500 years ago, triggered by the beginning of the Balkan Bronze Age. During this migration, members of haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a mainly followed rivers connecting the southern Balkans to northern-central Europe. Technological leaps often cause lineages to grow dramatically in numbers and in geographic range. The development of Bronze technology may have given men in haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a a competitive advantage over other men, causing haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a to proliferate and become widespread.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara
Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.
What do people with the surname Cornelius have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Cornelius" Surname 45.7%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Cornelius" Surname 29.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Cornelius" Surname 25.2%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Cornelius" Surname 19.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Cornelius?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Cornelius are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition