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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Cornelius m. Latin Cornelius, the name of a Roman gens, which in turn may be derived from Latin cornu 'a horn'.

The name of a minor Biblical character, a Roman centurion held to be the first Gentile to convert to Christianity, a 2nd C pope and patriarch of Antioch, and a 3rd C pope and saint. Wycliffite Bible (1395): Cornelie.

In Ireland, Cornelius is sometimes used as an anglicization of Irish Conchob(h)ar (cf. Connor).

Belgium
Middle Dutch
1336 Cornelise (dat) RSG1336-39 p. 32; 1477 Cornelis (nom) MPSA p. 50; 1478 Cornelis (nom) ibid. p. 50; 1479 Cornelis (nom) ibid. p. 51; 1480 Cornelis (nom) ibid. p. 51; 1481 Cornelis (nom) ibid. p. 51; 1486 Cornelis (nom) ibid. p. 53
Dutch
1540 Cornelis MPSA p. 62 [sic]; 1549 Cornelis ibid. p. 67; 1553 Cornelis ibid. p. 69; 1561 Cornelis ibid. p. 73; 1564 Cornelius ibid. p. 74; 1565 Cornelis ibid. p. 74; 1566 Cornelis ibid. p. 75; 1567 Cornelis ibid. p. 76; 1568 Cornelis ibid. p. 76; 1574 Cornelis ibid. p. 79; 1576 Cornelis ibid. p. 80; 1582 Cornelis ibid. p. 83; 1597x1598 Cornelis BoonenGes p. 320
Denmark
Danish
1581 Cornelius KD-1 no. 362
England
Latin
1551 Cornelius (nom) StMartF p. 57; 1567 Cornelius (nom) Reg-KirkElla p. 6
Dutch
1523 Cornelis AuFr Evertsz, Cornelius ibid. Evertsz; 1571 Cornelis ibid. Broon; 1572 Cornelis ibid. Henricxs, Cornelius ibid. Jansen; 1573 Cornelis ibid. Visschere; 1574 Cornelis ibid. Hendrix; 1575 Cornelis ibid. Nits, Cornelius ibid. Nits; 1576 Cornelis ibid. Jacobsen; 1578 Cornelis ibid. Dregge; 1579 Cornelis ibid. Tieone; 1580 Cornelis ibid. Smolders; 1581 Cornelis ibid. Peijstere, Cornelus ibid. Valckaert; 1583 Cornelis ibid. Moll; 1584 Cornelis ibid. Coppens; 1585 Cornelis ibid. Beauventre; 1586 Cornelis ibid. Baert; 1587 Cornelis ibid. Coppens; 1588 Cornelis ibid. Cornelisz; 1589 Cornelis ibid. Baert; 1590 Cornelis ibid. Dregghe, Cornelius ibid. Aernouts; 1591 Cornelis ibid. Baert; 1592 Cornelis ibid. Cornelis; 1593 Cornelis ibid. Geerart; 1594 Cornelis ibid. Baert; 1595 Cornelis ibid. Coorens; 1596 Cornelis ibid. Baert; 1597 Cornelis ibid. Cornet; 1598 Cornelis ibid. Aertsz; 1599 Cornelis ibid. Baerts
Early Modern English
1481 Cornelis HHB1481-90 p. 13, Cornelys ibid. p. 7; 1529 Cornelys PP-HenV p. 10; 1530 Cornelys ibid. p. 23; 1574 Cornelius RegPat p. 32; 1582 Cornellis StAnthonlin p. 29; 1586 Cornelius DEmar-vol2 p. 13
Middle French
1567 Cornelis WCS p. 3; 1568 Cornille ibid. p. 4; 1568/9 Cornille ibid. p. 4; 1569 Corneille ibid. p. 40; 1576 Cornille ibid. p. 101
Walloon
1590 Corneille RWC p. 14; 1591 Cornille ibid. p. 18; 1592 Cornille ibid. p. 21; 1593 Cornille ibid. p. 27; 1593/4 Cornille ibid. p. 31
Estonia
Middle Low German
1592 Nellies Tiik1977 p. 285, Nellius ibid. p. 285
France
Latin
1378 Cornelio (dat) hanquetvol1 1442
Ireland
Latin
1482 Cornelio (abl) RegOct 415
Early Modern English
1539/40 Cornelius Fiants-1 105; 1539 Cornell ibid. 78
Italy
Italian
1513x1521 Cornelio LeoX p. 14
Latvia
Middle Low German
1514 Karnelius Mettig1892 p. 7; 1518 Karnelius ibid. p. 7
The Netherlands
Latin
1594 Cornelii (gen) NHG-Middelburg p. 40
Dutch
1560 Cornelis MagMiddelburg-1560; 1561 Cornelis ibid.; 1562 Cornelis ibid.; 1563 Cornelis ibid.; 1564 Kornelis ibid.; 1565 Kornelis ibid.; 1566 Kornelis ibid.; 1567 Cornelis ibid., Kornelis ibid.; 1568 Cornelis ibid., Kornelis ibid.; 1569 Cornelis ibid., Kornelis ibid.; 1570 Kornelis ibid.; 1571 Kornelis ibid.; 1572 Kornelis ibid.; 1573 Cornelis ibid.; 1574 Cornelis ibid., NHG-Middelburg p. 69; 1575 Cornelis MagMiddelburg-1560; 1576 Cornelis ibid.; 1577 Cornelis ibid.; 1578 Cornelis ibid.; 1579 Cornelis (gen) NHG-Middelburg p. 40, MagMiddelburg-1560; 1580 Cornelis ibid.; 1581 Cornelis ibid.; 1582 Cornelis ibid., Kornelis ibid.; 1583 Cornelis ibid.; 1584 Cornelis ibid.; 1585 Kornelis ibid.; 1586 Cornelis ibid.; 1587 Kornelis ibid.; 1588 Cornelis ibid.; 1589 Cornelis ibid.; 1591 Cornelis ibid.; 1592 Cornelis ibid.; 1593 Cornelis ibid.; 1594 Cornelis ibid.; 1595 Cornelis ibid.; 1596 Cornelis ibid.; 1597 Cornelis ibid.; 1598 Cornelis ibid.; 1599 Cornelis ibid.
Cite as: A. Brown, R. Le Get, S.L. Uckelman. "Cornelius". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2020, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2020/1/name/Cornelius.