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 [ 3 syll. cor-ne-liu(s), co-rneli-us ] The boy name Cornelius is pronounced as KaoRNIYLYahS KEY. Cornelius is used chiefly in the Dutch, English, and German languages, and its origin is Latin. The name is of the meaning war horn. Biblical name derived from the elements 'cornu' meaning horn ; 'belli' meaning war. Cornelius (Latin) is an older form of Cornelius. The Cornelii clan was one of the most important families in ancient Rome. In the Bible, Cornelius was a Roman centurion converted to Christianity by Peter; he is traditionally known as the first gentile convert. The name was also known from Pope Saint Cornelius (-253), whose relics were taken to Flanders. Other early saints also bore the name, especially in the Low Countries. It was thus from the Netherlands that the name was introduced to English speakers later in the 15th century, and it has since often been associated with people of Dutch roots. It has also appeared in literature, as the name of minor characters in Shakespeare's Hamlet (1599-1601) and Cymbeline (1611). In the 19th century, the name was popular with Afro-Americans. The name Cornelia (Dutch, English, German, Italian, and Romanian) is the female form of Cornelius. Cornelius has 26 variants that are used in both English and other languages. Variants of Cornelius used in English include Cornall, Cornel (used in German and Romanian as well), and Cornell. Other English forms include the short form Cor (used in Dutch and as well), the pet forms Con, Connie, Corney, Cornie, and Neil (used in Dutch and as well), and the variant spellings Cornelious and Cornilius. Foreign variants of Cornelius include Corneille (French), Cornelio (Italian and Spanish), Cornelis (Dutch and German), Corneliu (Romanian), Cornélio (Portuguese), Kerneels (Dutch), Kornel (Czech, Polish, and Slavic), Korneli (Polish), Kornelije (Slavic), Kornelius (German), Korneliusz (Polish), and Kornél (Hungarian). Specific foreign variants include the short form Niels (Dutch), and the pet forms Kees (Dutch) and Neel (Indian). Cornelius is a classic favorite. At present it is still somewhat popular as a baby name for boys, though to a lesser extent than it was previously. At the modest height of its usage in 1904, 0.076% of baby boys were given the name Cornelius. Its ranking then was #172. The baby name has since declined in popularity, and in recent years it is of occasional use. In 2008, its usage was only 0.009% and its ranking #988. Within the group of boy names directly linked to Cornelius, Neil (Dutch, English, Irish, and Scottish) was the most commonly used. In 2008, it was 66% more widely used than Cornelius. Baby names that sound like Cornelius include Cornelis (Dutch and German), Cornilius (English), Kornelije (Slavic), Kornelius (German), Korneliusz (Polish), Cornelious (English), and Kerneels (Dutch). A famous person named Cornelius is Fictional Character Dr. Cornelius, born 1968. KEY: Pronunciation for Cornelius: K as in "key (K.IY)" ; AO as in "ought (AO.T)" ; R as in "read (R.IY.D)" ; N as in "knee (N.IY)" ; IY as in "eat (IY.T)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)" ; Y as in "yield (Y.IY.L.D)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; S as in "sea (S.IY)"   |
