English, especially US, from the Norman surname, itself derived from one of many places in northern France called Courtenay. It was also a nick-name from the Old French for "short nose".

According to Whyte, Courteney was the favoured spelling in Scotland in the 19^th century, although only Courtenay appears, very rarely, in the 1841 Census of Aberdeenshire. The modern preference is for Courtney.