Show ContentsCornelious History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Cornelious is tied to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England. It comes from Cornelius, a given name that came to England in the 15th or 16th century from Holland or Belgium. The names Cornelius and Cornelia were popular in the Low Countries because the relics of St. Cornelius, a Pope from the third century, were kept at the Chapter of Rosnay, in Flanders. 1

Early Origins of the Cornelious family

The surname Cornelious was first found in Essex, where they held a family seat from the Middle Ages.

Early History of the Cornelious family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cornelious research. Another 54 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1354, 1557, 1568, 1575, 1594 and 1664 are included under the topic Early Cornelious History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cornelious Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Cornelious has undergone many spelling variations, including Cornelius, Cornelis, Cornellis, Cornelys and others.

Early Notables of the Cornelious family

Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cornelious Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cornelious family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Cornelious were among those contributors: Bernard Cornelius who sailed to Barbados in 1678 and Elizabeth Cornelius to Philadelphia in 1733.


HMS Royal Oak
  • Kenneth Thomas Cornelious (d. 1939), British Boy 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 2


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html


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