Courtlyn
A feminine name derived from the French word "court", meaning "short" or "brief".
Name Census estimates that about 848 living Americans carry the first name Courtlyn. It is a predominantly female name (98.1% of registrations). The average person named Courtlyn today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Courtlyn births was 1998 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Courtlyn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
848
~ 1 in 404,191 Americans
Peak year
1998
38 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2023 SSA rank
#9,665
Tracked since 1990
Census
Courtlyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 740 people with the first name Courtlyn, which placed it at #15,509 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#15,509
National first-name rank
People counted
740
740 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
58.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Courtlyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Courtlyn is White at 58.9%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Courtlyn described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Courtlyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.9% · 436
- Black or African American32.0% · 237
- Two or more races4.9% · 36
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 4
Gender
Gender distribution for Courtlyn
Courtlyn leans heavily female at 98.1% of total registrations, but 16 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Courtlyn as a male name
- Ranked #11,087 in 2023
- 6 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2023 (6 births)
Courtlyn as a female name
- Ranked #9,665 in 2024
- 10 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1998 (38 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Courtlyn leans strongly female. 681 people counted with this name were female (91.9%), compared with 60 male bearers (8.1%).
Popularity
Courtlyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Courtlyn from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 284 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Courtlyn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Courtlyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Courtlyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, Louisiana, Alabama recorded the most babies named Courtlyn, while Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Courtlyn
The name Courtlyn is a relatively modern invention, originating in the English-speaking world within the past few centuries. It appears to be a combination of the French word "court," meaning "short," and the English suffix "-lyn," which is derived from the Old English "-lind" or "-linde," meaning "tender" or "soft."
While the exact origins of the name are unclear, it is possible that Courtlyn was created as a feminine form of the masculine name Courtland. Courtland itself is believed to have emerged in the 17th or 18th century, likely inspired by the English word "court" and the suffix "-land," denoting a place or territory.
There are no known historical references or ancient texts mentioning the name Courtlyn specifically. However, the name's components, such as "court" and "-lyn," have been present in various languages and cultures for centuries.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Courtlyn are relatively recent, appearing in birth records and census data from the late 20th century. While the name has not been widely used throughout history, there are a few notable individuals who have borne the name Courtlyn.
One such individual is Courtlyn Reese, an American actress and model born in 1991. She has appeared in various television shows and films, including "Glee" and "Tomorrowland."
Another person named Courtlyn is Courtlyn Gulledge, an American singer and songwriter born in 1992. She is known for her work in the pop and country music genres.
Courtlyn Carpenter, an American basketball player born in 1995, is another individual with this first name. She has played for several college teams and is currently a professional basketball player.
Courtlyn Stickels, born in 1997, is an American actress and model who has appeared in various commercials and television shows.
Courtlyn Tarpley, born in 1998, is an American volleyball player who has competed at the collegiate level and for the United States national team.
It's worth noting that while these individuals share the first name Courtlyn, the name itself remains relatively uncommon, and its usage may vary across different regions and cultures.
People
Courtlyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Courtlyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Courtlyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Courtlyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 848 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Courtlyn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 404,191 US residents.
Is Courtlyn a common name?
We classify Courtlyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 862 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Courtlyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Courtlyn was 1998, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Courtlyn is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Courtlyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 740 people with the name Courtlyn, or 0.25 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,509 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Courtlyn in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Courtlyn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Courtlyn leans strongly female. 681 people counted with this name were female (91.9%), compared with 60 male bearers (8.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Courtlyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Courtlyn is White at 58.9%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Courtlyn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Courtlyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.9% (436 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Courtlyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Courtlyn a female name?
Yes, 98.1% of people registered as Courtlyn in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Courtlyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Courtlyn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Courtlyn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Courtlyn?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.