Courtni
A feminine variant of Courtney, an English name of uncertain origin.
Name Census estimates that about 897 living Americans carry the first name Courtni. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Courtni today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Courtni births was 1990 (63 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Courtni. 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
897
~ 1 in 382,112 Americans
Peak year
1990
63 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2016 SSA rank
#16,840
Tracked since 1974
Popularity
Courtni: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Courtni from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 429 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Courtni 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 Courtni during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Courtnis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, California, Illinois recorded the most babies named Courtni, while Michigan, Alabama, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Courtni
The name Courtni is a relatively modern name, originating in the late 20th century. It is an anglicized form of the French name Courtney, which itself is derived from the Old French words "curt" meaning "short" and "naie" meaning "nose." This unique combination is thought to have been a descriptive nickname given to someone with a short nose.
While the name Courtney has a long history dating back to the Middle Ages, the variant spelling Courtni is a more recent development. It first gained popularity in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s as a feminized version of the traditionally male name Courtney.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Courtni can be found in the 1976 novel "Courtni's Sweet Revenge" by Jackie Collins. This book featured a character named Courtni who sought revenge against those who had wronged her, and the name's association with this fictional character may have contributed to its initial popularity.
Throughout history, a handful of notable individuals have borne the name Courtni. One such person was Courtni Webb (born 1985), an American professional basketball player who played for several teams in the WNBA between 2007 and 2015.
Another notable Courtni was Courtni Valenti (born 1991), an American actress and model who appeared in several television shows and films in the late 2000s and early 2010s, including roles in "Supernatural" and "The Mentalist."
In the world of music, Courtni Meadows (born 1988) was an American singer-songwriter who gained recognition for her participation in the ninth season of the reality television competition "American Idol" in 2010.
Courtni Upshaw (born 1993) was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the long jump and triple jump events. She won multiple NCAA championships while competing for the University of Georgia.
Finally, Courtni Donahue (born 1978) was an American writer and journalist who authored several books and articles on topics ranging from pop culture to personal finance.
While the name Courtni has no deep historical roots or ties to ancient cultures, its unique spelling and modern origins have contributed to its distinction as a relatively uncommon yet recognized name in recent decades.
People
Courtni + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Courtni 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
Courtni: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Courtni?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 897 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Courtni 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 382,112 US residents.
Is Courtni a common name?
We classify Courtni as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 937 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Courtni most popular?
The single biggest year for Courtni was 1990, when 63 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Courtni is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Courtni a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Courtni 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.
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.