2000
#1,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,060
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.81
Uncommon Last name
Cornell
Transferred use of a place name, derived from a landholding in Cornwall, England, or from Cornouaille, Brittany, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,801 Americans carry the last name Cornell. That puts it at #1,762 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,032 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cornell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cornell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 15,032
Census rank
#1,762
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,884 bearers of the surname Cornell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1762nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornell, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cornell
The surname Cornell originates from England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "cornouaille," meaning "of Cornwall," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name hailed from the county of Cornwall in the southwestern part of England.
In early records, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Cornhyll, Cornhill, and Cornhull, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1170, which mention a Robert de Cornhull.
The Cornell surname is also associated with several place names in England, including Cornell in Lincolnshire and Cornell in Bedfordshire. These locations likely served as residences or estates for early bearers of the name, contributing to its widespread adoption.
Notably, the Cornell family played a significant role in the history of England. Sir John Cornell (c. 1508-1594) was a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. His son, Sir Thomas Cornell (c. 1540-1608), also served as a Member of Parliament and was involved in various legal disputes over land ownership.
Another notable figure was Thomas Cornell (1616-1694), an early settler in colonial America who migrated from England to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638. He later became one of the founders of Westchester County, New York, and established the town of Cornell, which bears his surname.
In the realm of literature, Ezra Cornell (1807-1874) was an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, in 1865. The university was named in his honor, solidifying the Cornell name's association with education and intellectual pursuits.
Other prominent individuals with the Cornell surname include Joseph Cornell (1903-1972), an American artist and sculptor known for his innovative box assemblages, and Katharine Cornell (1893-1974), a renowned American actress who achieved great success on the stage during the 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cornell
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornell, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cornell 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 Cornell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 17,115
- Black or African American4.7% · 926
- Two or more races3.9% · 772
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 744
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 213
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 114
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cornell
Cornell 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
#1,672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,558
+498 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 7.31
Rank movement Down 106 places
2020
#1,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,884
-1,674 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 6.65
Rank movement Down 90 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,566 | 21,060 | 7.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,672 | 21,558 | 7.31 | +498 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 106 places |
| 2020 | #1,762 | 19,884 | 6.65 | -1,674 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 90 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 Cornell 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 | #1,672 | #1,762 | -5.4% |
| Count | 21,558 | 19,884 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 7.31 | 6.65 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cornell bearers went from 21,558 to 19,884 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 90 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,672 to #1,762.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cornell
FAQ
Cornell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cornell?
Name Census estimates that about 22,801 living Americans carry the surname Cornell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,032 residents.
How common is Cornell?
Cornell ranks #1,762 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,884 people with the surname Cornell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,801), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Cornell.
Has Cornell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cornell went from 21,558 recorded bearers to 19,884. That is a decrease of 1,674 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,672 to #1,762.
What does the Census say about the background of Cornell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornell, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Cornell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (17,115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cornell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Black (4.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Cornell (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 Cornell mean?
Transferred use of a place name, derived from a landholding in Cornwall, England, or from Cornouaille, Brittany, France. 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 Cornell (6.65 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 common is the surname Cornell?
You can see how many people have the surname Cornell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.