Cornel
A masculine name derived from the French word for "cornel tree".
Name Census estimates that about 903 living Americans carry the first name Cornel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cornel today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cornel births was 1947 (59 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cornel. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
903
~ 1 in 379,573 Americans
Peak year
1947
59 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,167
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
Cornel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cornel from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 263 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cornel by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cornel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cornels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, Louisiana, Michigan recorded the most babies named Cornel, while Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cornel
The name Cornel originates from the Latin language and is derived from the word "cornu," which means "horn." It is believed to have originated during the Roman Empire, where it may have been used as a nickname or a surname for someone with a prominent nose or a horn-like physical feature.
In ancient Roman texts and inscriptions, the name Cornel can be found as a cognomen, which was a third name given to individuals to distinguish them from others with the same first and second names. However, its earliest recorded use as a given name is not entirely clear.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Cornel was Cornelius Nepus, a Roman historian who lived during the 1st century BC. He is best known for his work "De Viris Illustribus" (On Illustrious Men), which contained biographies of famous Greek and Roman figures.
Another notable figure was Cornel of Brittany, a 6th-century Breton prince and saint who is venerated in the Catholic Church. He is known for founding the Abbey of Landerneau in Brittany, France, and for his missionary work in the region.
During the Middle Ages, the name Cornel was relatively uncommon but still appeared in various historical records and chronicles. One example is Cornel of Hesse, a 13th-century nobleman and military leader who fought in the Crusades and served as a regent of the Holy Roman Empire.
In the Renaissance period, the name gained popularity among European artists and intellectuals. Cornel Visscher, a Dutch engraver and printmaker from the 17th century, is known for his intricate and detailed works, including portraits of notable figures of his time.
Another prominent figure was Cornel Becker, a 17th-century Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life paintings and portraits. His works can be found in various museums and galleries across Europe.
In more recent history, the name Cornel has been less common but still carried by notable individuals. Cornel West, an American philosopher, political activist, and author born in 1953, is known for his work on race, gender, and class issues, as well as his contributions to the field of African-American studies.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Cornel
People
Cornel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cornel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cornel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cornel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 903 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cornel going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 379,573 US residents.
Is Cornel a common name?
We classify Cornel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,174 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cornel most popular?
The single biggest year for Cornel was 1947, when 59 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cornel is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cornel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cornel in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.