Cornell Family History

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.

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.

Possibly also an altered form of French Cornel, a derivative of Corne.