2000
#15,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,736
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Cornelio
Derived from the Roman family name Cornelius, which possibly means "horn" in Latin, referring to a person who blows a horn.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,986 Americans carry the last name Cornelio. That puts it at #11,547 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,787 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cornelio 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
3.0K
1 in 114,787
Census rank
#11,547
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,604 bearers of the surname Cornelio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11547th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornelio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 76.5%. The next largest groups are White (12.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cornelio
The surname Cornelio has its origins in Italy, tracing back to the Roman era. It is derived from the Latin name Cornelius, which itself comes from the Latin word "cornu," meaning horn. The name was initially used as a cognomen, a third name in the Roman naming system, and it was associated with a branch of the Cornelii family.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cornelio can be found in ancient Roman texts and inscriptions, indicating its widespread use during that time period. The name gained prominence in the early centuries of the Christian era, as several notable figures bore the name, including Pope Cornelius, who served as the Bishop of Rome from 251 to 253 AD.
In the Middle Ages, the name Cornelio maintained its presence in various regions of Italy, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. It is believed that some of the earliest bearers of this surname may have been descendants of Roman families who settled in these areas during the expansion of the Roman Empire.
One of the notable historical references to the name Cornelio can be found in the chronicles of the Venetian Republic, where a Cornelio Malipiero (1428-1513) was recorded as a prominent statesman and diplomat. He played a crucial role in the political affairs of Venice during the Renaissance period.
Another famous bearer of the name Cornelio was the Italian painter Cornelio Musso (1511-1572), who was known for his religious works and frescoes adorning several churches in Rome and other Italian cities.
In the 16th century, the name Cornelio gained recognition in Spain, where it was often spelled as Cornelio or Cornejo. One notable figure from this period was Pedro Cornelio (1565-1640), a Spanish Dominican friar and theologian who made significant contributions to the field of theology.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname Cornelio continued to be found in various parts of Italy, as well as in other European countries where Italian immigrants had settled. One notable example is the Italian architect and engineer Cornelio Ghiri (1678-1737), who designed several notable buildings in Turin and other cities in northern Italy.
In the 19th century, the name Cornelio gained some prominence in Latin America, particularly in countries with strong Italian immigration, such as Argentina and Brazil. One notable bearer of the name was the Argentinian writer and journalist Cornelio Saavedra (1759-1829), who played a significant role in the struggle for independence from Spanish rule.
Throughout its history, the surname Cornelio has been associated with individuals from diverse fields, including politics, art, religion, and literature. While its origins can be traced back to ancient Rome, the name has endured and spread across various regions, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural influences of Italian communities over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cornelio
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornelio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 76.5%. The next largest groups are White (12.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Cornelio 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 Cornelio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino76.5% · 1,993
- White12.1% · 314
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.6% · 249
- Black or African American1.1% · 28
- Two or more races0.8% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cornelio
Cornelio 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
#12,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,547
+811 bearers (+46.7%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 3,264 places
2020
#11,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,604
+57 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 674 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,485 | 1,736 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,221 | 2,547 | 0.86 | +811 bearers (+46.7%) | Up 3,264 places |
| 2020 | #11,547 | 2,604 | 0.87 | +57 bearers (+2.2%) | Up 674 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 Cornelio 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 | #12,221 | #11,547 | 5.5% |
| Count | 2,547 | 2,604 | 2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.87 | 1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cornelio bearers went from 2,547 to 2,604 (+2.2% change). The surname moved up 674 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,221 to #11,547.
FAQ
Cornelio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cornelio?
Name Census estimates that about 2,986 living Americans carry the surname Cornelio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,787 residents.
How common is Cornelio?
Cornelio ranks #11,547 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,604 people with the surname Cornelio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,986), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cornelio.
Has Cornelio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cornelio went from 2,547 recorded bearers to 2,604. That is an increase of 57 (+2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,221 to #11,547.
What does the Census say about the background of Cornelio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornelio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 76.5%. The next largest groups are White (12.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cornelio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.5% (1,993 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cornelio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (76.5%), White (12.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%). 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 Cornelio (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 Cornelio mean?
Derived from the Roman family name Cornelius, which possibly means "horn" in Latin, referring to a person who blows a horn. 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 Cornelio (0.87 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 have the last name Cornelio?
See how common the surname Cornelio is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.