Cornell

Meaning & origin●(measured from records)

Attested across 3 languages in the etymology graph.

Often considered alongside

Names that people choosing a name often weigh against Cornell, most often first. They share a style rather than an origin.

• Nelson
• Franklin
• Barrett
• Davis
• Nellie
• Bryce
• Anderson
• Neil
• Bennett
• Asher
• Calloway
• Clifford

From the names suggested together in public name-advice forums, in English. A list of what people consider, not a measure of how common any name is.

Other names spelled this way◐(inferred from the name graph)

Cornell is also recorded as another name, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• a separate name2 spellings in the group

  Also written Corǹell

62 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●(measured from records)

Cornell is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, weakened form of Cornall, Cornhill, Cornwall, or Cornwell; from Cornhill, London; first attested Henry de Cornell 1229–31 StP

  as a name·A Dictionary of English Surnames

• Medieval vernacular form of Cornelius. In modern use it normally represents a transferred use of the surname, which has multiple origins.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• In English, philanthropist; university, NY; pers.

  as a name·Pronouncing Dictionary of Proper Names

• In English, Ezra, US financier and

  as a name·Pronouncing Dictionary of Proper Names

• In English, University, NY

  as a name·Pronouncing Dictionary of Proper Names

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Notable people with this name●(measured from records)

• Ezra Cornellb. 1807USAmerican businessman (1807-1874)
• Katharine Cornellb. 1893USAmerican actress, theatre manager and producer (1893-1974)
• Joseph Cornellb. 1903USAmerican artist and filmmaker (1903-1972)
• Don Cornellb. 1919USAmerican singer (1919-2004)
• John Cornellb. 1941AUAustralian film producer, writer, actor, and businessman (1941-2021)
• Eric Allin Cornellb. 1961USAmerican physicist, professor (born 1961)
• Ellie Cornellb. 1963USAmerican actress
• Chris Cornellb. 1964USAmerican musician (1964–2017)
• Paul Cornellb. 1967GBBritish writer
• David Cornellb. 1991GBBritish footballer (born 1991)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

How to address them○(machine-generated)

Evidence●(measured from records)

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Cornell mean, and where does it come from?

An anglicization of European surnames based on Cornelius; also a different form of Comhill or Cornwell. Recorded by Encyclopedia of surnames [the complete companion to tracing your names history].

How do you pronounce Cornell?

A machine transcription gives /kɔɹˈnɛɫ/ (IPA) for English.

In which country does Cornell have the most bearers?

In the United States, the national register counted about 22 thousand people named Cornell, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled cornell.

How common is the name Cornell?

In the United States, the national register counted 21,558 people named Cornell in 2010, about 1 in 15 thousand residents.

How common is Cornell compared with other names?

In Algeria, Cornell is the 398th most common surname of 89,473 surnames recorded there.