The Cornel Last Name

Clerks wrote Cornell in many ways, and Cornel is one that stuck. The name is usually explained as “Descendant of Cornelius (hornlike); dweller at the dogwood-tree hill”. Without the “l” of Cornell, Cornel is a simpler written form of the same name. Regional accents shaped spellings long before dictionaries fixed them. You may also find the name written Cornwall.

The 2010 census count for Cornel in the United States was 278, good for rank 70,403. Hispanic and Latino Americans made up 36% of the total.

Looking for a Cornel coat of arms? Arms were granted to families, not to surnames, and our research shows which heraldic tradition fits yours. Get the complete Cornel report, with a museum-style coat of arms.