 The House of Courtenay was a significant French family with close association with both the French, and thereby, English royal lines; in England the Courtenays were Earls of Devon.Secondly, 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