View Message

Cornelius
This was the name of a grand-uncle of mine (maternal grandmother's brother, died many years), and I was thinking about using the name on a son I may have. His nickname would be Corey rather than Neil, and a possible middle name would be Jacob. What do you guys think? Is Cornelius a decent name for a boy, or is it too old-fashioned?
Archived Thread - replies disabled
vote up1

Replies

Cornelius was my great-grandfather's name. My uncle is also Cornelius, but everyone calls him Conor as a nn. I've loved both names all my life, but I'm biased. Oh, Cornelia too. :-)Cornelius Jacob is very handsome. It reminds me of the Vanderbilt family for some reason. Or am I crossing them with the Astors?
vote up1
Cornelius is pretty old-fashioned, but if Atticus can make it then why not?! And Corey is a fine nickname. Cornelius Jacob is a bit overkill traditional for me. I would spice Cornelius up with something more hip.
vote up1
I love Cornelius! It's dignified, redolent of classical antiquity, and charmingly stuffy. Cornelius Jacob is a wonderfully handsome combination.
vote up1
I've always thought it was a little doofy. I think it's the "corn" part. I would be perfectly happy to see it used though, and using Corey for a middle name makes it feel more modern. The only Cornelius I know goes by Case (Kees).
vote up1
I think it's a lovely name. I've come across the name on young children several times the last couple of months but only as a middle name. I don't think it's old-fashioned just rare. I would love to meet a little Cornelius and Cornelius Jacob is a great combo.
I'm not really a fan of Corey or Neil. I'd like to think that Cornelius doesn't need a nickname but in real life I guess it will be shortened to something.
I also like Cornelis a lot.
vote up1
Sorry, but I find Cornelius really old fashioned and almost a joke name... like if you had to name a car or something, you might call it Cornelius as a joke because it's so pretentious and over-the-top.Cornelius Fudge from Harry Potter doesn't help!I also don't really like any of the nicknames for Cornelius. Corey sounds really American footballer to me, and Neil is boring. Obviously other alternatives like "Corny" (?) are not really great either.Sorry for my negative opinions, I just don't like the name. However, if it's a family name that you like, I suppose that makes it a bit better. I would personally keep it to the middle name spot.
vote up1
I know someone who's just called her son Cornelius, nn Cory. I think it was a family name for them too. I thought it was a nice unexpected choice and quite handsome.
Cornelius Jacob is great.
vote up1
I like Cornelius. It's a funny name, and also gets me thinking of a certain Cornelius Fudge.
Cornelius Jacob is a nice combo, and I like that it's honoring, so I'd say go for it! If you don't want to use it as a first name, you can always use it as a middle name. Jacob Cornelius is also a nice combo.
vote up1
I like it. Corenleius is handsome and so proper. I always thought Neely would be a cute nickname for it, but it's a bit feminine for most. I don't think it's too old-fashioned at all!
vote up1
I would think a name beginning with Corn would be hard to get through childhood with. I, also, personally find it to be a rather unpleasant sounding name.
vote up1