Find out how popular the last name Kornelsen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kornelsen.

Kornelsen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kornelsen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kornelsen in America

Kornelsen is the 147253rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kornelsen surname appeared 112 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kornelsen.

The history of the last name Kornelsen

The surname Kornelsen originated in Germany in the 16th century. It is derived from the Low German words "korn" meaning grain, and "elsen" meaning willow tree, suggesting a connection to an area with fertile fields and willow trees growing nearby.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kornelsen can be found in the village of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany, where a farmer named Hans Kornelsen was mentioned in a land registry from 1589.

In the 17th century, the Kornelsen family spread across northern Germany, with some members settling in the Duchy of Holstein. A notable figure from this era was Johann Kornelsen (1632-1701), a merchant and landowner from the town of Itzehoe.

By the 18th century, some members of the Kornelsen family had migrated to Russia, where they were among the first German settlers invited by Catherine the Great to establish agricultural communities. One such settler was Peter Kornelsen (1745-1813), who founded the village of Kornelsen (now called Sovetskoe) in the Volga region.

In the 19th century, many Kornelsens left Russia due to increasing tensions and religious persecution, with some families immigrating to the United States and Canada. One notable figure from this period was Jacob Kornelsen (1822-1901), who led a group of Mennonite settlers from Russia to establish the town of Gretna in Manitoba, Canada.

Other notable individuals with the surname Kornelsen include Hans Kornelsen (1887-1957), a German politician and member of the Reichstag during the Weimar Republic, and Gerhard Kornelsen (1928-2014), a Canadian artist and sculptor known for his abstract works in metal and stone.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kornelsen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kornelsen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kornelsen was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kornelsen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kornelsen, please contact us.

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