2000
#1,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,668
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.89
Uncommon Last name
Courtney
Derived from a place name meaning "short nose" in Old French, originally referring to someone from Courtney.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,565 Americans carry the last name Courtney. That puts it at #1,335 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,593 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Courtney surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Courtney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,593
Census rank
#1,335
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
26K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,782 bearers of the surname Courtney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1335th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Courtney, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Courtney
The surname Courtney is derived from the Norman-French word "court," meaning a courtier or a member of a nobleman's retinue. The name has its roots in England, dating back to the 11th century after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is believed that the name originated from the region of Courtonne in Normandy, France.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Courtney can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "de Courtenay," referring to the family's ancestral lands in Normandy.
One of the most notable early bearers of the name was Reginald de Courtenay, who was born in the late 11th century and served as a crusader during the Third Crusade. He was also the founder of the Courtenay dynasty, which produced several notable figures throughout history.
In the 13th century, William de Courtenay (c. 1228–1292) was a prominent English prelate who served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1272 until his death. He played a significant role in the conflicts between the Church and the Crown during the reign of King Henry III.
Another noteworthy figure was Hugh de Courtenay (c. 1303–1349), who was Earl of Devon and a distinguished military commander during the Hundred Years' War. He fought alongside King Edward III in several battles against the French, including the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
During the Tudor period, Sir William Courtenay (c. 1477–1535) was a prominent figure in the court of King Henry VIII. He served as a member of the Privy Council and was involved in the dissolution of the monasteries in England.
The name Courtney has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Courtney in Wiltshire and Courtenay in Devon, which were likely derived from the surname itself.
Throughout history, the Courtney surname has been spelled in various ways, including Courtenay, Courteney, and Curtney, reflecting the evolution of the English language and regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Courtney
Among Census respondents with the surname Courtney, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Courtney bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Courtney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 21,023
- Black or African American9.2% · 2,380
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,063
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 906
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 205
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 205
Timeline
Historical Census data for Courtney
Courtney appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,205
+537 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 9.22
Rank movement Down 92 places
2020
#1,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,782
-1,423 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 8.63
Rank movement Down 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,202 | 26,668 | 9.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,294 | 27,205 | 9.22 | +537 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 92 places |
| 2020 | #1,335 | 25,782 | 8.63 | -1,423 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 41 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Courtney surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,294 | #1,335 | -3.2% |
| Count | 27,205 | 25,782 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 9.22 | 8.63 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Courtney bearers went from 27,205 to 25,782 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,294 to #1,335.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Courtney
FAQ
Courtney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Courtney?
Name Census estimates that about 29,565 living Americans carry the surname Courtney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,593 residents.
How common is Courtney?
Courtney ranks #1,335 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,782 people with the surname Courtney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,565), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Courtney.
Has Courtney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Courtney went from 27,205 recorded bearers to 25,782. That is a decrease of 1,423 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,294 to #1,335.
What does the Census say about the background of Courtney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Courtney, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Courtney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (21,023 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Courtney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Black (9.2%), Two or More Races (4.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Courtney (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Courtney mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "short nose" in Old French, originally referring to someone from Courtney. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Courtney (8.63 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Courtney?
See how many Americans have the surname Courtney on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.