Cornick History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Wales

The surname Cornick is a Welsh name that was first held when the Cornick family lived in the English county of Cornwall. As a general rule, the greater the distance between individuals and their homelands, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, people who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. Consequently, the name Cornick was not originally applied to a lifelong resident of Cornwall, but rather to someone who emigrated from Cornwall to another region. 1

Early Origins of the Cornick family

The surname Cornick was first found in Devon, England where the "surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'the Cornish,' a Cornish man. We do not expect to find Cornish in Cornwall, but in Devonshire. Coming over the border the stranger would be called Cornish from the county he had left. Hence Cornish is rare in Cornwall and common in Devonshire. We may safely conclude that when we find Cornish in Cornwall the bearer has returned to the county whence his ancestors sprang." 2

"The manor of Trevorick, [in St. Issey, Cornwall] on which the family of Cornish had their seat, was for several generations in their possession." 3

"The Devonshire families of Cornish are now best represented in Newton Abbot and its neighbourhood. George Cornish was commander of one of the Bideford ships engaged in the Newfoundland trade in the reign of William III. " 4 In Devon, Thomas Cornyssh was Warden of St Mary's College, Ottery St Mary in 1490.

"In the parish registers [of Stratton, Cornwall] is preserved the following singular instance of longevity:-'Elizabeth Cornish, widow, buried March 10th, 1691. This Elizabeth Cornish was baptised in October, 1578. Her father's name was John Weale. She was when she died in the 114th year, having lived one hundred and thirteen years four months and fifteen days.' It appears by the register that in the year 1547, one hundred and fifty-three persons died in the small town of Stratton of the plague." 3

Early History of the Cornick family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cornick research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1375, 1450, 1465, 1493, 1502, 1523, 1677, 1685 and 1689 are included under the topic Early Cornick History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cornick Spelling Variations

Although there are not an extremely large number Welsh surnames, there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations of those surnames. This variety of spellings began almost immediately after the acceptance of surnames within Welsh society in the 15th century. As time progressed, these old Brythonic names were eventually were recorded in English. This process was problematic in that many of the highly inflected sounds of the native language of Wales could not be properly captured in English. Some families, however, did decide to modify their own names to indicate a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even a patriotic affiliation. The name Cornick has seen various spelling variations: Cornish, Cornishe, Corniss, Cornise, Carnish, Cornich, Corniche, Cornick and many more.

Early Notables of the Cornick family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was William Cornysh the Younger (also spelled Cornyshe or Cornish) (1465-1523), an English composer, dramatist, actor, and poet. His only surviving poem, was written in Fleet Prison. " In the Privy Purse Expenses of Henry VII under date Nov. 12, 1493, a payment is entered 'to one Cornyshe for a prophecy in rewarde, 13s. 4d.,' and in the Privy Purse Expenses of Henry's Queen, Elizabeth of York, under date Dec. 1502, a similar amount for 'setting of a carralle upon Christmas day.' " 5His son, William Cornyshe...
Another 95 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cornick Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cornick migration to the United States +

The Welsh migration to North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries contributed greatly to its rapid development. These migrants were in search of land, work, and freedom. Those Welsh families that survived the long ocean journey were critical to the development of new industries and factories, and to the quick settlement of land. They also added to an ever-growing rich cultural heritage. A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Cornick:

Cornick Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

M L Cornick, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 6

Cornick migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Cornick Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Joseph Warmer Cornick, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7
Mr. Joseph Cornick, (b. 1820), aged 21, English labourer who was convicted in Dorset, England for 15 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "David Clarke" on 3rd June 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Cornick (post 1700) +

Paul Cornick (b. 1989), American NFL football offensive tackle
Andrew Cornick (b. 1981), Welsh field hockey player who represented Wales in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow
Nicola Cornick, British writer of historical romance novels from Yorkshire
Harry Charles Frederick Cornick (b. 1995), English professional footballer
Glenn Douglas Barnard Cornick (1947-2014), British bass player, best known as a founding member of the British band Jethro Tull
General Lemuel Cornick Shepherd Jr. (1896-1990), veteran of World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, he was the 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps 9

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Grove, Sir George, A Dictionary of Music and Musicians (AD. 1450-1889) London: Macmillan1902, Print, 2 Vols
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-clarke
Lemuel Shepherd. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Lemuel Shepherd. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemuel_C._Shepherd%2C_Jr.