Courtney
Courtney is a unisex given name that is a transferred use of the Norman French surname and place name Courtenay, meaning "domain of Curtius". Courtenay was used as a given name for men beginning in the 17th century. Courtenay has been in use as a given name for women in the Southern United States since the 18th century.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Courtney
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Courtney is a unisex given name that is a transferred use of the Norman French surname and place name Courtenay, meaning "domain of Curtius". Courtenay was used as a given name for men beginning in the 17th century. Courtenay has been in use as a given name for women in the Southern United States since the 18th century.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Courtney
As a girl name
American parents first put Courtney on the record books as a girl name in 1881, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1990, when 15,380 Courtneys were born — ranking #17 that year. About 44% of every Courtney on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Courtney ranks #2,217 for girls with 85 births, falling sharply (-47%). All told, over 258K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
Courtney first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1884, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1980: 860 births, good for #256 nationwide. About 34% of every Courtney on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Courtney ranks #3,556 for boys with 32 births, falling sharply (-39%). All told, over 23K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Courtney
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Courtney. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Courtney
Phonetically similar names — useful when Courtney is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Courtney
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About the name Courtney
Courtney is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1881 and has accumulated 258K births in the dataset. Courtney's peak popularity came in 1990 when it ranked #17. Use the chart and map above to compare Courtney's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1990 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.