Cornelius Van Winkle was a famous printer in New York City during the early 19th century. He knew Washington Irving and it is said that the author named his charcter, Rip Van Winkle, after Cornelius.
Included in a book, Nineteenth-century Printing Practices and the Iron Handpress, Vol 1, by Richard-Gabriel Rummonds, is a short biography of Cornelius S. Van Winkle as follows:
"Cornelius Van Winkle (1785-1843) was born in New York City and became a printer around 1809. He remained in the trade at various locations in New York until 1836, printing books, sermons, and tracts.
Van Winkle printed the first edition of Washington Irving's The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent (1820) and it has been said that his relationship with Irving was strained because he was piqued at Irving's naming his lazy Dutchman in his book Rip Van Winkle."
Another book where a different story of how Rip was named is History of Paterson, by William Nelson, published in 1900. On page 104 is the following passage:
"There is a tradition in the family (Van Winkle) to this effect: Cornelius was in the habit of taking a nap in his office after his noon-day lunch. One day, as he was sitting in his chair, enjoying his post-prandial doze, his head thrown back and his cavernous mouth wide open, Washington Irving dropped in, and with the familiarity of an old acquaintance roused him from his slumbers, with some humorous allusion to the appearance of his countenance, his wide open jaws suggested a great rip across his face. Some delusory conversation followed about Irving's work, particularly his legend of the Dans Kammer in the Catskills; Irving said he was still puzzled as to the name to be given the hero of the tale.
'Well,' said the printer, 'Why don't you name him after me, Rip Van Winkle?'
'Do you mean it,' cried the author.
'Of course I do,' replied the good natured printer.
And hence the name of the most popular of Washington Irving's characters in the Sketch Book. So Cornelius S. Van Winkle had in more senses than one a proprietary interest in this work."