Boy · Latin · Christian
Cornelius
CorneliusSay it kor-NEE-lee-us
- Meaning today
- Horn
- Original meaning
- "a Roman family name (the gens Cornelia); Strong's gives no meaning" Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, G2883
- Say it
- kor-NEE-lee-us
- Other spellings
- Cornelio, Kornelius
Cornelius
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Cornelius meaning
Cornelius is a Christian boy's name of Latin origin.
Meaning today
Horn
Original Latin meaning
"a Roman family name (the gens Cornelia); Strong's gives no meaning"
Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, G2883 · entry Kornelios · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Cornelius was the name of the Cornelii, one of the great families of ancient Rome, which produced Scipio Africanus among others. In the New Testament it belongs to the Roman centurion of Caesarea whose household Peter baptised in Acts 10, remembered as the first non-Jewish convert. Strong's Concordance records the name only as Latin and gives no meaning. Name lists usually say 'horn', connecting it with Latin cornu, but that origin is a guess rather than settled fact. Christian families in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Mangalore use the name.
References: Strong's G2883, Kornelios (Bible Hub) · Acts 10:1 (Bible Hub)
Famous namesakes
- Cornelius the centurion, baptised by Peter in Acts 10
Spellings
Cornelius · Cornelio · Kornelius