List of Famous people with last name Courtenay

Sir William Courtenay of Powderham in Devon was a prominent member of the Devonshire gentry. He was Sheriff of Devon in 1579–80 and received the rare honour of having been three times elected MP for the prestigious county seat (Devon) in 1584, 1589 and 1601.

Sir Hugh Courtenay, KG, was the eldest son and heir apparent of Hugh Courtenay, 10th Earl of Devon (1303–1377), whom he predeceased, and was a founding member of the Order of the Garter.

William Courtenay was Archbishop of Canterbury (1381-96), having previously been Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of London.

Reginald Courtenay DD (1813–1906) was the Anglican Bishop of Jamaica from 1856 until 1879.

Jan Niecisław Ignacy Baudouin de Courtenay was a Polish and Russian linguist and Slavist, best known for his theory of the phoneme and phonetic alternations.

Renaud de Courtenay, anglicised to Reginald I de Courtenay, of Sutton, Berkshire, was a French nobleman of the House of Courtenay who took up residence in England and founded the English Courtenay family, who became Earls of Devon in 1335. The title is still held today, by his direct male descendant.