Total births
22,076
Girls' name · since 1880
Cornelia
Cornelia has 22,076 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1921 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #3822
- among girls today
- 22,076
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 78%
- more common than other girls
22,076 babies have been named Cornelia since 1880, making it today's #3822 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Cornelia recorded 22,076 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #3822 nationally today, ahead of 78% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #3822 among girls today
- 22,076 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 78% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Cornelia is currently the #3822 girls' name in America, more common than 78% of girls - 22,076 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #3822
- among girls today
- 22,076
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 78%
- more common than other girls
Cornelia vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#3822
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 78% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
18% of everyone ever named Cornelia was born in this single decade.
1921
Single peak year
477 babies were named Cornelia in 1921 - its busiest year on record.
How Cornelia compares
22,076 Top 6% higher than 94% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Cornelia's all-time total is 58x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cornelia | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 22,076 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 477 | 48 | 19,840 |
Cornelia's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Cornelia splits its recorded history at 1953: 22% of all births land in the more recent half, 78% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 2004 (15 births) -- compare that against the 1921 peak of 477 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Cornelia at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1921
Current rank
#3,822
Active since
1880
Cornelia popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 477
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Cornelia popularity over time - boys
26 total births recorded since 1925 (Cornelia as boys' name)
Cornelia by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Cornelia's strongest decade.
3,951 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Cornelia births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,020
1880s
1,020 births
- 1890s 1,332
1890s
1,332 births
- 1900s
1900s
1,630 births
- 1910s
1910s
3,455 births
- 1920s
1920s
3,951 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,731 births
- 1940s
1940s
2,509 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,813 births
- 1960s 1,310
1960s
1,310 births
- 1970s 700
1970s
700 births
- 1980s 526
1980s
526 births
- 1990s 320
1990s
320 births
- 2000s 228
2000s
228 births
- 2010s 293
2010s
293 births
- 2020s 258
2020s
258 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 3,951 births (18% of all-time use).
How Cornelia compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Cornelia's total volume
Cornelia vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Cornelia by state
Where Cornelia concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 1,380 | 6.3% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 1,246 | 5.6% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 1,050 | 4.8% |
| #4 | Virginia | | 906 | 4.1% |
| #5 | South Carolina | | 884 | 4.0% |
| #6 | Alabama | | 809 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 710 | 3.2% |
| #8 | Texas | | 677 | 3.1% |
New York share of Cornelia's total US births 6.3%
Even split
1,380 of 22,076 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 37 reporting states.
Cornelia appears in 37 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cornelia? ▼
Cornelia has been given to 22,076 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #3822 as of the latest data. 477 babies were born in 1921, its single highest year.
When was Cornelia most popular? ▼
Cornelia was most popular in the 1920s decade with 3,951 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Cornelia most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Cornelia are New York (1,380 births), North Carolina (1,246 births), Georgia (1,050 births).
How long has the name Cornelia been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Cornelia since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Cornelia? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Cora, Corinne, Corrine, Cortney, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Cornelia's data
- Cornelia's decade-level peak was the 1920s (3,951 total births); usage has since declined to 258 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Cornelias (1,380 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cornelia
Nearby Names Like Cornelia
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cornelia
Cora Girl
#103 156,028 births
Corinne Girl
#1087 49,877 births
Corrine Girl
#4298 20,831 births
Cortney Girl
16,923 births
Corina Girl
#2893 15,925 births
Compare Cornelia side by side: Cornelia vs Cora Cornelia vs Corinne Cornelia vs Corrine
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cornelia
Lehlani #3821
296 births · Peak 2023
Bernice #3823
182,130 births · Peak 1921
Baela #3820
115 births · Peak 2025
Johnnie #3824
49,196 births · Peak 1928
Anova #3819
239 births · Peak 2025
Augustine #3825
3,842 births · Peak 1925
Huntlee #3818
241 births · Peak 2024
Lizette #3826
12,122 births · Peak 1999
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Cornelia: #3822 Girls' Name - 22,076 Births, Peak 1921." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/cornelia. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Cornelia draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.