Cornell Family History
Cornell Name Meaning
English: shortened form of Cornwell Cornwall or of Cornhill a habitational name from a place in Northumberland named Cornhill from Old English corn a metathesized form of cron cran ‘crane’ + halh ‘nook recess’; or from Cornhill in London a medieval grain exchange named with Old English corn ‘corn grain’ + hyll ‘hill’ or from some other place elsewhere similarly named. English: variant of Corney . English: possibly also a nickname from French corneille ‘rook crow’ probably denoting a chatterer or someone with dark hair or a dark complexion. German: from a shortened form of the personal name Cornelius . In North America this surname may also be an altered form of German Kornell which is of the same origin. Swedish: ornamental name composed of Latin cornu (probably a translation of Horn ‘horn’) + the suffix -ell derived from Latin -elius. It may also be of German origin (see 4 above). Americanized form of Swedish Körnell from an unexplained first element + the suffix -ell.7: Americanized form of French Corneille or of any other European surname derived from the Latin personal name Cornelius e.g. Polish Kornel. See also 4 above.8: Possibly also an altered form of French Cornel a derivative of Corne .
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022