| ![Show Contents]() Corning History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The surname Corning is a Welsh name that was first held when the Corning 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 Corning 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 Corning familyThe surname Corning 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 Corning familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Corning 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 Corning History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Corning Spelling VariationsCompared to other ancient cultures found in the British Isles, the number of Welsh surnames are relatively few, but there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations. These spelling variations began almost as soon as surname usage became common. The most obvious reason was the challenge of translating from Welsh into English. As a result, people could not specify how to spell their own names leaving the specific recording up to the individual scribe or priest. Those recorders would then spell the names as they heard them, causing many different variations. Later, many Welsh names were recorded in English. This transliteration process was extremely imprecise since the Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh used many sounds the English language was not accustomed to. Finally, some variations occurred by the individual's design: a branch loyalty within a family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The Corning name over the years has been spelled Cornish, Cornishe, Corniss, Cornise, Carnish, Cornich, Corniche, Cornick and many more. Early Notables of the Corning familyProminent 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 Corning Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Corning RankingIn the United States, the name Corning is the 15,221st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6
 Corning migration to the United States | + |
Many people from Wales joined the general migration to North America in the 19th and 20th centuries, searching for land, work, and freedom. Like the many other immigrants from the British Isles, they made a significant contribution to the development of Canada and the United States. The Welsh and their descendents added a rich cultural tradition to the newly developed towns, cities, and villages. An investigation of the immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Corning:
Corning Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Samuel Corning, who landed in New England in 1641 7
Corning Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Johan Lodoph Corning, who landed in New York in 1715-1716 7
Corning Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- A Corning, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
- G Corning, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 7
- Mrs. M Corning, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 7
| Contemporary Notables of the name Corning (post 1700) | + |
- Ron Corning (b. 1971), American television host
- Peter Corning (b. 1935), American biologist, consultant, and complex systems scientist
- Parker Corning (1874-1943), American politician, U.S. Representative from New York (1923-1937)
- Erastus Corning 2nd (1909-1983), American businessman and politician, 72nd Mayor of Albany, New York (1942-1983)
- Erastus Corning (1794-1872), American businessman and politician, Mayor of Albany, New York (1834-1837), eponym of the town of Corning, New York
- Edwin Corning (1883-1934), American businessman and politician, Lieutenant Governor of New York (1927-1928)
- Joy Corning (1932-2017), American politician, 44th Lieutenant Governor of Iowa (1991-1999)
- Thomas E. Corning KC (1842-1912), Canadian lawyer and politician who represented Yarmouth County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1882 to 1886
- Howard Corning (1879-1924), Canadian cattle farmer and politician who represented Yarmouth County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1911 to 1916 and from 1920 to 1924
- S. Corning Judd, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Chicago, Illinois, 1885-88 8
| Historic Events for the Corning family | + |
USS Arizona - Mr. Russell Dale Corning, American Radioman Third Class from Colorado, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 9
- 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
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
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Corning migration to the United States 
Ireland
Wales
