2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cornaire
A French surname derived from the word "cor", meaning "horn", likely referring to a horn player or maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Cornaire. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cornaire surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Cornaire in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornaire, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cornaire
The surname CORNAIRE has its origins in France, where it first emerged in the early medieval period, around the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "cornaire," which referred to a horn maker or someone who crafted horns for various purposes, such as hunting or signaling.
The name was initially concentrated in the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and the surrounding areas. It is likely that some of the earliest bearers of the name were skilled artisans who specialized in horn-making, a trade that was highly valued at the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname CORNAIRE can be found in the "Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres," a collection of charters and documents dating back to the 12th century. This historical record mentions a certain "Robertus Cornaire," who was a resident of the town of Chartres.
As the name spread across France, it underwent various spelling variations, including Cornard, Cornart, and Cornaud. These variations reflect the regional dialects and linguistic influences of the areas where the name took root.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname CORNAIRE. One such figure was Jean Cornaire, a renowned scholar and humanist born in the late 15th century (around 1470) in the town of Valenciennes. He was a professor of Greek and Latin at the University of Paris and was highly regarded for his translations of ancient Greek texts.
Another notable bearer of the name was Pierre Cornaire, a French artist and engraver who lived in the 17th century (1640-1708). He is best known for his intricate engravings depicting religious scenes and landscapes.
In the 18th century, a certain François Cornaire (1712-1782) gained recognition as a talented architect and urban planner. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Paris and its surrounding regions.
The name CORNAIRE also found its way across the Atlantic, with some bearers settling in the French colonies of North America. One such individual was Jacques Cornaire, a farmer and landowner who arrived in Quebec, Canada, in the mid-17th century (around 1650).
While the surname CORNAIRE may have evolved and spread over time, its origins can be traced back to the skilled horn makers of medieval France, whose craftsmanship and trade left an indelible mark on this unique family name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cornaire
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornaire, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cornaire bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cornaire surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 100
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cornaire
Cornaire appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,871 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 12,871 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 289 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cornaire surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #152,628 | #152,339 | 0.2% |
| Count | 107 | 106 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cornaire bearers went from 107 to 106 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 289 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #152,339.
FAQ
Cornaire surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cornaire?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Cornaire. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Cornaire?
Cornaire ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Cornaire. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cornaire.
Has Cornaire become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cornaire went from 107 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Cornaire?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornaire, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Black (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cornaire in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cornaire appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (1.9%), Black (0.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cornaire (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cornaire mean?
A French surname derived from the word "cor", meaning "horn", likely referring to a horn player or maker. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cornaire (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Cornaire?
Find out how many people have the surname Cornaire on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.