Explore the Family Name Courtney
The meaning of Courtney
1. English and Irish (of Norman origin): habitational name from Courtenay near Sens in northern France, or some other place similarly named, from the name of a Gallo-Roman landlord, Curtenus (a derivative of Latin curtus ‘short’) + the locative suffix -acum. 2. Irish: English surname adopted for Ó Curnáin ‘descendant of Curnán’, an Old Irish personal name based on a diminutive of corn ‘horn’. History: A family of this name (see 1 above) can be traced back to Athon de Courtenay, who lived in Courtenay in Loiret in the early 11th century. Renaud de Courtenay held land in Devon in the 12th century, and the family later held the title of Earls of Devon following the marriage of Hugh de Courtenay to Margaret de Bohun, granddaughter of King Edward I, in 1325.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Courtney in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Courtney has seen minor fluctuations between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was the 1,202nd most popular surname in the United States, but by 2010 it had slipped slightly to become the 1,294th most common. Despite this drop in rank, the number of people with the surname Courtney actually increased during this period from 26,668 to 27,205. However, in terms of proportion per 100,000 people, there was a decrease from 9.89 to 9.22.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,202 | #1,294 | -7.65% |
| Count | 26,668 | 27,205 | 2.01% |
| Proportion per 100k | 9.89 | 9.22 | -6.77% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Courtney
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Courtney also experienced notable changes during the same period, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. The majority of individuals bearing this surname identified as White, although this figure dropped slightly from 86.80% in 2000 to 84.64% in 2010. There was also a small increase in those identifying as Black, from 9.04% in 2000 to 9.70% in 2010. The largest percentage increase was among those who identified as Hispanic, which saw a growth rate of 53.01%, albeit from a smaller base of 1.66% in 2000 to 2.54% in 2010. Additionally, there were slight increases among those who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native, while those identifying with two or more races also rose from 1.41% to 1.86%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 86.8% | 84.64% | -2.49% |
| Black | 9.04% | 9.7% | 7.3% |
| Hispanic | 1.66% | 2.54% | 53.01% |
| Two or More Races | 1.41% | 1.86% | 31.91% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.63% | 0.69% | 9.52% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.45% | 0.58% | 28.89% |
Courtney ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Courtney is British & Irish, which comprises 56.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.5%) and Eastern European (3.6%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 56.5% |
| French & German | 21.5% |
| Eastern European | 3.6% |
| Other | 18.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Courtney
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Courtney have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 89.00% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 88.90% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 88.70% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 88.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 88.50% |
What Courtney haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Courtney is R-CTS4188, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS4188 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L664 and R-M222, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Glass, Martin, King, Thompson, Neal, Lind, Smith, Fisher, Harrison, Brown.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Courtney surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Courtney have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Courtney" Surname 42.9%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Courtney" Surname 26.6%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Courtney" Surname 23.7%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Courtney" Surname 17.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Courtney?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Courtney are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition