girl's name
Courtney
KORT-nee
- Origin Norman
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 8
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 319,612
Northern Ireland
#462
2017 births
Courtney is a name from a Norman family whose surname is usually read as short nose, though a place-name derivation competes. It began as a boys' name, is now 92 percent female in our records, and peaked in 1990.
- Courtney is a name of Norman origin.
- Peaked in 1990, when 16,055 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 28,581 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1881.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Courtney over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 67 |
| 1890s | 99 |
| 1900s | 108 |
| 1910s | 417 |
| 1920s | 615 |
| 1930s | 500 |
| 1940s | 929 |
| 1950s | 1,224 |
| 1960s | 4,843 |
| 1970s | 28,545 |
| 1980s | 92,054 |
| 1990s | 116,812 |
| 2000s | 28,509 |
| 2010s | 5,740 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 970 |
What Courtney means
Courtney is generally given as short nose, from a Norman nickname. A competing reading takes it from a place called Courtenay, in which case it means the domain of Curtius and describes no one's face.
Where Courtney comes from
Courtney comes from the Norman family de Courtenay, and two derivations compete. The place name Courtenay in France is built on the Gallo-Roman Curtenus with a locative ending, meaning the estate of Curtius — a perfectly ordinary place-name pattern. The alternative reads the surname as court nez, short nose, a nickname of the kind Normans handed out freely. The family were among the most powerful in medieval Europe, holding the Latin Empire of Constantinople and the earldom of Devon. Its use as a given name is nineteenth-century and male; the switch to female is late twentieth-century and almost complete.
Courtney in use
Courtney peaked in the United States in 1990, when 16,055 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now charts in three of the seven markets we track — 2311th in England and Wales on 12 births, 2329th in the United States on 116 and 2753rd in Canada — across 319,612 lifetime births. About 92 percent of recorded births are female, which is further across than Kelly, Leslie, Tracy or Marion managed.
How popular is Courtney?
In 2025, Courtney was given to 116 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Courtney is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Courtney
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Courtney also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Courtney over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Courtney
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Courtney in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Courtney
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Courtney — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Courtney
What does the name Courtney mean?
Usually short nose, from a Norman nickname — though it may instead mean the estate of Curtius, from the place name Courtenay.
Was Courtney a boys' name?
Yes, in the nineteenth century. About 92 percent of the births in our records are now female.
Is Courtney a Norman name?
Yes, from the family de Courtenay, who held the Latin Empire of Constantinople and the earldom of Devon.
How popular is Courtney?
2329th in the United States, down from a 1990 peak of 16,055 births.
How many syllables are in Courtney?
Courtney has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Courtney?
Courtney is usually shortened to Court.
Is Courtney a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Courtney currently ranks #2,311 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.