Courtney is from the Old French court nez ("short nose") or courtenay (a Norman place name) — used as a surname-to-first-name in 19th-century England and adopted as a feminine given name in 20th-century America. A top-50 US baby name from 1985 to 2002, peaking at #18 in 1990. Courteney Cox (born 1964) — *American actress; played Monica Geller on NBC's Friends (1994-2004) for ten seasons — the highest-rated US sitcom of its decade; also Gale Weathers in the Scream franchise (1996, 1997, 2000, 2011, 2022, 2023, 2025); Cougar Town (2009-2015). Courtney Love (born 1964) — American singer-songwriter; founded the alternative rock band Hole (1989-2002); the band's Live Through This (1994) is on Rolling Stone*'s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Widow of Kurt Cobain. Courtney B. Vance is male (Tony, Emmy). Courtney Stodden — American media personality. Courtney Vandersloot — WNBA point guard; all-time WNBA single-game assists leader.
Featured throughout 1990s-2020s American culture.
In Pythagorean numerology the letters of Courtney reduce to 4, The Builder. This is a traditional interpretive system, not a factual claim about the name.