Holding steady.
Popularity of Courtnay since 1965
Babies named Courtnay per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1985, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Courtnay's real moment was 1974.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 63 |
| 1970s | 133 |
| 1980s | 162 |
| 1990s | 109 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Courtenay first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1965, a variant spelling of the more common Courtney. It reached its peak popularity in 1974, ranking among the top 1,000 names for girls that year. The name has declined in usage since then, and as of 2025 it remains stable but rare, with fewer than five births per year. The variant spelling Courtenay is less common than Courtney or Kourtney, and is not associated with any particular state or region. Like many surname-style names, it fits a modern trend of unisex names that are often given to girls, though it originated as a masculine surname.
Courtnay is a variant spelling of Courtney, derived from a Norman French surname. The surname originated from places in France, such as Courtenay in Loiret, which likely comes from the Gallo-Roman personal name Curtius plus the locative suffix -acum, meaning 'estate of Curtius'. Alternatively, the name may be from Old French cort, 'short', and nez, 'nose', as a nickname. As a given name, it became popular in the English-speaking world in the 20th century, often used for girls.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Court, Coco
Sibling names for Courtnay
Names that share Courtnay's style, for a brother or sister.
