2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cornille
A surname derived from the French place name Cornille.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Cornille. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cornille 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Cornille in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornille, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cornille
The surname Cornille is of French origin, emerging in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "cornille," which referred to a type of small red fruit similar to a cherry, also known as a cornel or dogwood. The name likely originated as a descriptive surname, perhaps referring to someone living near a cornel tree or involved in the cultivation or trade of these fruits.
The earliest known records of the Cornille surname can be traced back to the 13th century in the regions of Normandy and Picardy in northern France. The name appears in various historical documents from this period, such as tax rolls, land records, and parish registers.
One notable early bearer of the Cornille name was Jean Cornille, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Rouen, Normandy, in the late 14th century. Records from 1392 mention his involvement in a legal dispute over property rights.
In the 15th century, the Cornille surname can be found in the Armorial Général, a collection of French nobility's coats of arms compiled between 1697 and 1737. This suggests that some branches of the Cornille family had achieved noble status by this time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Cornille name spread to other regions of France, including Paris and the surrounding areas. Notable individuals from this period include François Cornille (1551-1619), a renowned painter and sculptor from Paris, and Jacques Cornille (1625-1701), a Jesuit priest and scholar who served as a professor at the University of Paris.
As the Cornille family continued to grow and disperse throughout France, the surname also evolved, with variations such as Cornilleau, Cornillon, and Cornillot emerging in different regions.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, several individuals with the Cornille surname made significant contributions in various fields. Marie-Thérèse Cornille (1768-1846) was a French painter and engraver known for her portraits and historical scenes. Jean-Baptiste Cornille (1789-1857) was a prominent architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Église Saint-Vincent-de-Paul.
Additionally, the Cornille surname has been carried by individuals who have made their mark in more recent times, such as the French author and philosopher Michel Cornille (1909-1989) and the Belgian politician and diplomat Jean Cornille (1928-2013).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cornille
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornille, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cornille 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 Cornille surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 92
- Two or more races7.3% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cornille
Cornille 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+21 bearers (+20.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,001 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-13 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,878 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +21 bearers (+20.8%) | Up 12,001 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 12,878 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 Cornille 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 | #137,327 | #150,205 | -9.4% |
| Count | 122 | 109 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cornille bearers went from 122 to 109 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 12,878 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #150,205.
FAQ
Cornille surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cornille?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Cornille. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Cornille?
Cornille ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Cornille. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Cornille.
Has Cornille become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cornille went from 122 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Cornille?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornille, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Cornille in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cornille appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Two or More Races (7.3%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Cornille (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 Cornille mean?
A surname derived from the French place name Cornille. 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 Cornille (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 share the surname Cornille?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.