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Courtney (surname)

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This article is about the surname and given name. For places named Courtney or Courtenay and other uses, see Courtney (disambiguation).
Courtney KAESHA SMELLS AHHHH (AAAA)
GenderUnisex but chiefly female
Origin
Word/nameNorman, Old French
Region of originEngland
Other names
Related namesCourteney, Courtenay

Courtney (also Courteney or Courtenay) is a common given name, derived from an English surname[1].

Surname origin

This name is of Norman, Old French origin, introduced into England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It has two quite distinct interpretations: firstly, the surname may be locational, from places called Courtenay in the regions of Loiret and Gatinais which are named from a Gallo-Roman landlord "Curtenus" (a derivative of the Latin "curtus", short), with the locational suffix "-acum". The second possible derivation of the surname is from a nickname for a person who had a snub nose, from the Old French "court, curt", short, with "nez", nose. Many early European surnames were created from the habitual use of nicknames, often bestowed with reference to a person's physical attributes or peculiarities.

In some cases, bearers of the surname may be of Irish descent, since Courtney is also an Anglicized form of the Gaelic "O'Curnain", descendant of Curnan, from an Old Irish personal name of obscure origins. Recordings of the name from London Church Registers include: the christening of Thomas Courtney at All Hallows, London Wall, on 11 November 1569, and the marriage of William Courtney and Mary Lucas on 22 March 1590, at St Dunstan's, Stepney. John Courtney and his wife, Sybbill, were early emigrants to America, leaving London on the "Paule" in July 1635, bound for Virginia. An early coat of arms granted to the family depicts a blue fesse between three torteaux on a gold shield. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Reginald de Curtenay, which was dated 1164, in "Feudal Documents from the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds", Suffolk, during the reign of King Henry II, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154-1189.

People surnamed Courtney

Courtney as given name

Female

Male

Transgender

  • Courtney Act, stage name of singer Shane Jenek and semi-finalist in Australian Idol in 2003

Fictional characters

See also

  • Kurt & Courtney, 1998 documentary film about grunge rocker Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love

References

  1. ^ "Behind the name: Courtney".
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