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Cortnee

♀ Girl

Pronounced KORT-nee /ˈkɔːrt.niː/Medium

Meaning: Cortnee is a 1980s-90s creative respelling of Courtney, which began as the Norman-French aristocratic surname de Courtenay (a place in northern France) and was also popularly read as Old French court nez, 'short nose'. The '-ee' ending simply reletters the fashionable Courtney sound.Low

In 30 seconds: Cortnee is a phonetic respelling of Courtney, a Norman surname-name that peaked as a girl's name in the early nineteen-nineties (said 'KORT-nee').

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Origin LowEnglish, French

MeaningCortnee is a 1980s-90s creative respelling of Courtney, which began as the Norman-French aristocratic surname de Courtenay (a place in northern France) and was also popularly read as Old French court nez, 'short nose'. The '-ee' ending simply reletters the fashionable Courtney sound.

U.S. rank (2009)#12703 ↗ Rising

2009 U.S. births8 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1991

Total births (all-time)≈ 617

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Cortnee is one of many inventive respellings that trailed the hit name Courtney in the 1980s and 90s. Courtney itself comes from the Norman surname de Courtenay, a place-name brought to England after 1066, and was long folk-read as Old French court nez, 'short nose'.

It never stood on its own: from the mid-1970s it drew a handful of babies each year, cresting around 1991 before fading with the parent name. A Cortnee is almost always a Gen-X or millennial woman, and the spelling reads as very much of its moment rather than part of the vintage revival.

Did you know? Cortnee was a blink-and-miss variant: even at its 1991 crest it was given to only a few dozen American girls a year, riding the tail end of Courtney's huge popularity.

Overall data confidence 50%

References — Cortnee — Respelling of Courtney; Norman de Courtenay surname

Variations

CourtneyKortneyCourtneeCortney

Nicknames

CortCee

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Cortnee…

Courtney— the standard spelling of the very same name

Kortney— another phonetic respelling of Courtney from the same era

Whitney— a like surname-name for girls that peaked in the same years

Brittany— a fellow trendy 1990s girl's name with the same rhythm

Explore names like Cortnee

By themerespelling surname 1990s

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Cortnee mean?

Cortnee is a respelling of Courtney, from a Norman-French place-surname also read as 'short nose'.

How do you pronounce Cortnee?

It's said KORT-nee /ˈkɔːrt.niː/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Cortnee a boy or girl name?

Cortnee is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Cortnee?

Cortnee was always rare, a brief variant of Courtney that peaked in the early nineteen-nineties and quickly faded.