Contents [hide]

Cornish History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Cornish History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales

The surname Cornish is a Welsh name that was first held when the Cornish 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 Cornish 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 Cornish family

The surname Cornish 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 Cornish family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cornish 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 Cornish History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cornish Spelling Variations

Compared 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 Cornish name over the years has been spelled Cornish, Cornishe, Corniss, Cornise, Carnish, Cornich, Corniche, Cornick and many more.

Early Notables of the Cornish 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...
Henry Cornish (died 1685), was a London Alderman of the ward of St. Michael Bassishaw (1677), wrongly convicted of high treason and executed in Cheapside; he was vindicated in 1689 by an Act of Parlia...

Cornish Ranking

In the United States, the name Cornish is the 2,750^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 5 However, in Australia, the name Cornish is ranked the 770^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,061 people with that name. 6

Cornish 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 Cornish:

Cornish Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Cornish, aged 25, who arrived in Virginia in 1620 aboard the ship "Dutie" 7
Samuel Cornish, who landed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1637 7
Samuel Cornish was one of the first settlers in North America, settling in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1637
Robert Cornish, who arrived in Maryland in 1650 7
John Cornish, who landed in Maryland in 1651 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cornish Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Walter Cornish, who arrived in New England in 1720 7
James Cornish, who arrived in New England in 1730 7

Cornish Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Cornish was the first Schoolmaster and Town Clerk in Westfield, Massachusetts
Mr. William Cornish, (b. 1819), aged 21, English miner departing from England aboard the ship "Royal Adelaide" arriving in the United States on 21st April 1840 8
Mr. E. Cornish, (b. 1814), aged 27, Cornish settler departing from Falmouth aboard the ship "Royal Adelaide" arriving in the United States on 25 May 1841 8
Mrs. S. Cornish, (b. 1816), aged 25, Cornish settler departing from Falmouth aboard the ship "Royal Adelaide" arriving in the United States on 25 May 1841 8
Miss S. Cornish, (b. 1840), aged 1, Cornish settler departing from Falmouth aboard the ship "Royal Adelaide" arriving in the United States on 25 May 1841 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cornish Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Verrant Cornish, (b. 1879), aged 21, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "Majestic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1900 en route to Ishpeming, Michigan, USA 9
Mr. James M. Cornish, (b. 1859), aged 44, Cornish merchant travelling aboard the ship "Lucania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1903 en route to New York, USA 9

Cornish migration to Australia +

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

Cornish Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Cornish, (b. 1809), aged 21, English stable boy who was convicted in Southwark, London, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 11th August 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. George Cornish (b. 1781), aged 52, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 22nd March 1833, sentenced for life for stealing a bay horse, transported aboard the ship "Neva" on 27th July 1833 to New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. John Cornish who was convicted in Exeter, Devon, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
W. Cornish, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Katherine Stewart Forbes" in 1837 13
Mr. William Cornish, (b. 1816), aged 22, Cornish blacksmith travelling aboard the ship "Duchess of Northumberland" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 22nd April 1838 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cornish migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Cornish Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Sydney Cornish, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cashmere" in 1853 15
Charlotte Cornish, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cashmere" in 1853 15
John Cornish, aged 31, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Schiehallion" in 1872
Miss Annie Cornish, (b. 1873), aged 1, Cornish settler departing on 27th April 1874 aboard the ship "Euterpe" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 30th August 1874 16
Mrs. Eliza Cornish, (b. 1845), aged 29, Cornish settler departing on 27th April 1874 aboard the ship "Euterpe" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 30th August 1874 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cornish (post 1700) +

Sandy Cornish (1793-1869), American farmer, businessperson, and civic leader in Key West, Florida
Samuel B. Cornish (1795-1858), American Presbyterian minister, abolitionist, publisher, and journalist
Audie N. Cornish, American journalist and a current co-host of NPR's All Things Considered
William Rodolph "Bill" Cornish CMG, FBA, Hon. QC (1937-2022), Australian legal scholar and academic based in the United Kingdom, Herchel Smith Professor of Intellectual Property Law at the University of Cambridge from 1995 to 2004
Sir Samuel Cornish (1715-1770), 1st Baronet, a British naval commander, said to have risen from a very humble origin 17
Joseph Cornish (1750-1823), English dissenting writer, youngest of seven children of Joseph Cornish, woollen-dresser (d. 1776), by his second wife 17
William Rich Cornish (1890-1969), Canadian politician, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta (1944-1955)
William Robert "W.R." Cornish (1828-1896), British physician, Surgeon-General of India in the Madras Presidency
Mitch Cornish (b. 1993), Australian professional rugby league footballer
Jon Cornish (b. 1984), Canadian CFL football running back for the Calgary Stampeders from 2007 to 2015, CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award (2012, 2013, 2014), CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award (2013)
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Cornish family +

HMS Dorsetshire

Simon Reeve Cornish, British Midshipman aboard the HMS Dorsetshire (1945) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 18

HMS Royal Oak

Charles Frederick Cornish (d. 1939), British Able Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 19

Victoria steamboat disaster

Ellen G. Cornish, Canadian passenger who was killed in the Victoria steamboat disaster when the boat capsized in 1881

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.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) KATHERINE STEWART FORBES 1837 arrived Holdfast Bay, near Adelaide, on October 17, 1837. . Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837KatherineStewartForbes.htm
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_bounty_nsw.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Wellington 1872-1880 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nz_wellington.pdf
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
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