List of Famous people named Cornelius

Cornelius Vanderbilt was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into leadership positions in the inland water trade and invested in the rapidly growing railroad industry. Nicknamed "The Commodore", he is known for owning the New York Central Railroad. His biographer T. J. Stiles says, "He vastly improved and expanded the nation's transportation infrastructure, contributing to a transformation of the very geography of the United States. He embraced new technologies and new forms of business organization, and used them to compete....He helped to create the corporate economy that would define the United States into the 21st century."

Cornelius Vanderbilt II was an American socialite, businessman, and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family. He was the favorite grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, who bequeathed him $5 million, and the eldest son of William Henry "Billy" Vanderbilt and Maria Louisa Kissam. In his turn he succeeded them as the Chairman and the President of the New York Central and related railroad lines in 1885.

Cornelius Meister (born 23 February 1980 in Hannover, is a German conductor and pianist. His father, Konrad Meister, was a pianist and professor of piano at the Musikhochschule Hannover. His mother is also a piano teacher. His half-brother, Rudolf Meister, is also a pianist and is Rector of the Musikhochschule Mannheim.

Cornelius Jonah Vanderbilt IV was a newspaper publisher, journalist, author, and military officer. He was an outcast of high society, and was disinherited by his parents when he became a newspaper publisher. He desired to live a "normal" life but was burdened by large debt and could not maintain the lifestyle associated with his family's social position to which he had become accustomed.

Rolf Nikolaus Cornelius Gurlitt, son of Hildebrand Gurlitt, a Third Reich dealer of Nazi-looted art, grandson and great-grandnephew of his namesakes Cornelius Gurlitt and Cornelius Gurlitt (composer), is known for the stash of artworks discovered in his apartment some of which was proven to be looted art from the Nazi era. The collection was confiscated by German tax authorities in 2012 on dubious grounds but eventually agreed to be returned to Gurlitt's possession in 2014, although this never happened in his lifetime. After the collection came to public attention in 2013, Gurlitt agreed that any items which could be identified as looted should be returned to surviving relatives of the persons from whom the items were originally stolen. In his will he bequeathed all his property, including the art collection, to the Museum of Fine Arts in Bern, Switzerland, which agreed to accept them minus any items of suspect provenance, which remain in Germany pending further investigation.

Cornelius Rost was an Austrian drafted into the German army as a soldier in World War II who claimed that he escaped from a Soviet Gulag camp in Chukchi Peninsula, Siberia. His supposed experiences were the basis for a book, a television series, and a film. However, gross inaccuracies have led to his story being dismissed as a fraud in Germany.

Cornelius was a Roman centurion who is considered by Christians to be the first Gentile to convert to the faith, as related in Acts of the Apostles. The baptism of Cornelius is an important event in the history of the early Christian church.

Cornelius Vanderbilt "Sonny" Whitney was an American businessman, film producer, government official, writer and philanthropist. He was also a polo player and the owner of a significant stable of Thoroughbred racehorses.

Cornelius Sim was a prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Vicar of Brunei from 2004 until his death. He had previously served as the apostolic prefect of Brunei from 1997 to 2004.