Courtney is a given name. It is used for both females and males. The name is of Norman and Old French origin. It came to England in the late 1060s. The name became a given name during the 17th century. While it can be used for either gender, it is more frequently utilized for girls. The name Courtney is associated with the French courtier, or court attendant, and has been in use since the 1960s. This is a unique name (not in the top 1000 newborn names in the US in 2021).[1]
It was at first for males. Females did not start getting the name Courtney until after the 1956 publication of "Chocolates for Breakfast". That book is about a woman named Courtney who wishes she had been born male. Courtney is a somewhat common name. People named Courtney include Courteney Cox, Courtney Love and Courtney Thorne-Smith. Fictional characters with the name include Courtney Matthews in the ABC soap opera series General Hospital.
People
Last name of Courtney
- Bryce Courtenay (1933–2012), Australian novelist
- Duane Courtney (born 1985), English footballer
- Ernie Courtney (1875–1920), American baseball player
- James Courtney (1888–1934), New Zealand Military Cross recipient
- Jan Niecisław Baudouin de Courtenay (1845–1929), Polish linguist, creator of the idea of the phoneme
- Joel Courtney (born 1996), American film actor
- John Edgar Courtney (born 1934), Australian ornithologist
- Mel Courtney, New Zealand Independent politician
- Nicholas Courtney (1929–2011), British television actor
- Roger Courtney, British military officer influential in the establishment of the Special Boat Service
- Tom Courtenay, English actor
First name of Courtney
- Courtney Alexander (born 1977), American basketball player
- Courtney Anderson (born 1980), American football player
- Courtney Babcock (born 1972), Canadian runner
- Courtney Hodges (1887–1966), United States Army general
- Courtney Kennedy (born 1979), American ice hockey player
- Courtney Lawes (born 1989), English rugby union player
- Courtney Lee (born 1985), American basketball player
- Courtney Paris (born 1987), American basketball player
- Courtney Solomon (born 1971), Canadian film director
- Courtney Vandersloot (born 1989), American basketball player
- Courtney Webb (born 1988), British actress and writer
- Courtney Whitney (1897–1969), American lawyer and Army commander
- Courtney Love (born 1964) , American rock musician and actress
Places
- Courtenay, British Columbia, a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island
- Courtenay River, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia
- Courtenay, New Zealand, a locality in the Selwyn District
- Courtenay (New Zealand electorate), a former electorate in Canterbury, based on the locality of the same name
- Courtenay, Florida, an unincorporated community in Brevard County
- Courtney, North Carolina, an unincorporated community in Yadkin County
- Courtney, Pennsylvania, a neighborhood of the borough of New Eagle
- Courtney Peak, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica
Science
References