Boys' name · since 1880
Cornelius
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 36,407 babies named Cornelius, peaking in 1974. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #602 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,906 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 36,407
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
36,407 babies have been named Cornelius since 1880, making it today's #1906 boys' name.
Cornelius has 36,407 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1906 as of the latest data, more common than 86% of boys, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #602 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,906 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 36,407 born since 1880
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cornelius ranks #602 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,906 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 36,407 born since 1880, peaking in the 1980s.
- #602 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,906 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 36,407
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
Cornelius's 36,407 recorded births place it above 98.67% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
40 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Cornelius compares
36,407 Top 5% higher than 95% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Cornelius's all-time total is 99x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cornelius | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 36,407 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 486 | 34 | 22,252 |
Cornelius's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Cornelius splits its recorded history at 1953: 54% of all births land in the more recent half, 46% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 2024 (68 births) -- compare that against the 1974 peak of 486 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Cornelius popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1974)
- 486
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Cornelius popularity over time - girls
642 total births recorded since 1888 (Cornelius as girls' name)
Cornelius by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (4,080 births, 11% of the file).
1980s was Cornelius's strongest decade.
4,080 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 11% of all-time use.
Cornelius births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 911
1880s
911 births
- 1890s 853
1890s
853 births
- 1900s 956
1900s
956 births
- 1910s
1910s
3,066 births
- 1920s
1920s
4,021 births
- 1930s
1930s
3,122 births
- 1940s
1940s
2,733 births
- 1950s
1950s
3,215 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,777 births
- 1970s
1970s
3,975 births
- 1980s
1980s
4,080 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,891 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,923 births
- 2010s 1,360
2010s
1,360 births
- 2020s 524
2020s
524 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 4,080 births (11% of all-time use).
How Cornelius compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Cornelius's total volume
Cornelius by state
Where Cornelius concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 2,839 | 7.8% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 2,039 | 5.6% |
| #3 | Florida | | 1,909 | 5.2% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 1,906 | 5.2% |
| #5 | Alabama | | 1,832 | 5.0% |
| #6 | Mississippi | | 1,684 | 4.6% |
| #7 | Texas | | 1,653 | 4.5% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 1,393 | 3.8% |
2,839 of 36,407 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Cornelius appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cornelius? ▼
Where does Cornelius sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Cornelius most popular? ▼
Where is Cornelius most popular? ▼
How long has the name Cornelius been used? ▼
What names are similar to Cornelius? ▼
What to do with Cornelius's data
- Cornelius's decade-level peak was the 1980s (4,080 total births); usage has since declined to 524 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Corneliuss (2,839 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cornelius
Nearby Names Like Cornelius
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cornelius
Compare Cornelius side by side: Cornelius vs Corey Cornelius vs Cory Cornelius vs Corbin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cornelius
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Cornelius: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1974)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 Cornelius 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 August 2026.