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Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from the Old French curteis (Modern French courtois) which was in turn derived from the Spanish Cortés (of which Cortez is a variation) and the Portuguese and Galician Cardoso.

The name means "polite, courteous, or well-bred". It is a compound of curt- "court" and -eis "-ish". The spelling u to render in Old French was mainly Anglo-Norman and Norman, when the spelling o was the usual Parisian French one, Modern French ou . -eis is the Old French suffix for -ois, Western French (including Anglo-Norman) keeps -eis, simplified to -is in English. The word court shares the same etymology but retains a Modern French spelling, after the orthography had changed.

It was brought to England (and subsequently, the rest of the Isles) via the Norman Conquest. In the United Kingdom, the name Curtis was at its height in 1996, when it was the 78th most popular boy's name in England and Wales. Curtis was the 72nd most popular boy's name in 1963 in the United States, but has declined in popularity there since. Many Hungarian immigrants in English-speaking countries with the last name Kertész have adopted the name Curtis, since it is pronounced similarly and helped them integrate into their new community.

Surname

People

• Adam Curtis (born 1955), English television documentarian
• Alan Curtis (disambiguation), multiple people
• Alice B. Curtis (1874–1956), American suffragist, writer
• Alice Turner Curtis (1860–1958), American writer
• Alison Curtis (born 1977), Canadian-Irish radio presenter
• Allen Curtis (1877–1961), American film director
• Andrew Curtis (cricketer) (born 1943), English cricketer
• Anne Curtis (born 1985), Philippine actress
• Anthony Curtiss (1919–1981), American naturalist, elder brother of Sydney Curtiss and Thomas Quinn Curtiss
• Aubyn Curtiss (1925–2017), American politician
• Benjamin Curtis (disambiguation), also Ben Curtis, multiple people
• Cathrine Curtis (1889- ?), American actress
• Catie Curtis (born 1965), American singer-songwriter
• Chad Curtis (born 1968), American former major league baseball player convicted of sexual assault
• Charles Curtis (botanist) (1853–1928), English botanist who became the first superintendent of the Penang Botanic Gardens
• Charles Curtis (disambiguation), several people
• Charles Curtis (1860–1936), 31st vice president of the United States (1929–1933)
• Charles Curtiss (1908–1993), American communist
• Charles W. Curtis (born 1926), American mathematician
• Chet Curtis (1939–2014), American journalist
• Chris Curtis (1941–2005), English musician, member of The Searchers
• Chuck Curtis (1935–2016), American football coach
• Cliff Curtis (baseball) (1881–1943), American baseball player
• Cliff Curtis (born 1968), New Zealand film and television actor
• Curtis L. Meinert (1934–2023), American clinical trialist
• Cyrus H. K. Curtis (1850–1933), American magazine publisher
• David Curtis (disambiguation), multiple people
• Dexter Curtis (1828–1898), American inventor and politician
• Dick Curtis (1902–1952), American actor
• Edmund Curtis (1881–1943), historian and Professor of History
• Edward S. Curtis (1868–1952), photographer
• Edwin Curtis (1906–1999), English Anglican archbishop in Mauritius
• Elden Francis Curtiss (born 1932), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church
• Emma Curtiss Bascom (1828–1916), American educator, suffragist and reformer
• George M. Curtis (New York politician) (1840–1915), American lawyer, politician and judge
• George Ticknor Curtis (1812–1894), American politician and lawyer
• George William Curtis (1824–1892), American writer and public speaker
• Glenn Curtiss (1878–1930), American aviation pioneer
• Glenn Curtiss (1878–1930), American aviation pioneer and founder of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
• H. W. Curtis (c.1816–???), Wisconsin state senator
• H. W. Curtiss (1824–1902), American politician
• Harriot Curtis (1881–1974), American golfer
• Harry Curtis (baseball) (1883–1951), American baseball player
• Heber Doust Curtis (1872–1942), American astronomer
• Helen Noble Curtis (1874 - 1961), American activist, volunteer, educator and speaker
• Ian Curtis (1956–1980), English musician, lead singer of Joy Division
• James Curtiss (1803–1859), American politician
• Jamie Lee Curtis (born 1958), American actress
• Jasmine Curtis (born 1994), Filipino actress
• Jim Curtiss (1861–1945), American professional baseball player
• John Curtis (disambiguation), several people
• John Curtiss Underwood (1809–1873), American lawyer, abolitionist politician, and federal judge
• John Curtiss (Royal Air Force officer) (1924–2013), British Royal Air Force officer
• John Shelton Curtiss (1899–1983), American historian of Russia and historical scholar of old Yankee stock
• Joseph S. Curtis (1831–1878), American politician and lawyer
• Julian Wheeler Curtiss (1858–1944), golf equipment manufacturer
• Kathlyn Curtis, Manitoba judge
• Kelly Curtis (born 1956), American actress
• Kevin Curtis (born 1978), American football player
• King Curtis (1934–1971), American saxophonist
• L. Perry Curtis (1932–2019), American historian of Ireland
• Larry Curtiss, American chemist
• Lee Curtis (born Peter Flannery), British musician
• Leon Curtiss (1861–1934), American politician
• Lionel George Curtis (1872–1955), founder of the Royal Institute of International Affairs
• Louis Curtiss (1865–1924), Canadian-born American architect
• Louisa Knapp Curtis (1851–1910), columnist and first editor of The Ladies Home Journal
• Mac Curtis (1939–2013), American musician
• Margaret Curtis (1883–1965), American golfer and tennis player
• Mark Curtis (British author), British political author
• Mark Curtis (SWP member) (born 1959), former American Socialist Worker's Party member
• Martha E. Sewall Curtis (1858–1915), American suffragist, writer
• Mary C. Curtis (born 1953), American journalist
• Mary Louise Curtis Bok Zimbalist (1876–1970), founder of the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia
• Matt Curtis, American college baseball coach
• McClendon Curtis (born 1999), American football player
• Michael Curtis (disambiguation), several people
• Moses Ashley Curtis (M.A. Curtis, 1808–1872), American botanist and mycologist
• Nannie Webb Curtis (1861-1920), American lecturer, temperance activist, clubwoman
• Norman Curtis (footballer) (1924–2009), English football player
• Patrick Curtis (bishop) (1740–1832), Irish archbishop
• Patrick Curtis (producer) (born 1938), American producer
• Philip Curtis (1926–1951), English soldier
• Philip Curtiss (1885–1964), politician, novelist, and newspaper reporter
• Ralph Hamilton Curtiss (1880–1929), American astronomer
• Reginald Salmond Curtis (1863–1922), British soldier
• Richard Curtis (born 1956), British comedy scriptwriter
• Ronan Curtis (born 1996), Irish football player
• Roy Curtiss, American microbiologist
• Samuel Curtis (S.Curtis, 1779–1860), English botanist
• Samuel Ryan Curtis (1805–1866), Union General in the American Civil War
• Sarah Curtis (geographer), British geographer and academic
• Scott Curtis (American football) (born 1964), American football player
• Scott Curtis (born 1984), American actor and musician
• Sidney Curtiss (1917–1994), American politician
• Thomas Bradford Curtis (1911–1993), American Representative from Missouri
• Thomas Quinn Curtiss (1915–2000), French-born writer, and film and theatre critic
• Tom Curtis (disambiguation), several people
• Tommy Curtis (1952–2021), American college basketball player
• Tony Curtis (1925–2010), American actor
• Ulysses Curtis (1926–2013), American football player
• Virginia Henry Curtiss Heckscher (1875–1941), president of The Heckscher Foundation for Children
• Walker M. Curtiss (1852–1917), American politician
• Wayne Curtis (footballer, born 1967), Welsh football player
• Willa Pearl Curtis (1896–1970), American actress
• William Curtis (1746–1799), English botanist
• William Eleroy Curtis (1850–1911), American journalist and writer
• Zelda Curtis (1923–2012), English author and journalist

Fictional characters

• Randall Curtis, character on The Simpsons based on George Lucas
• Rey Curtis, character on Law & Order
• Izumi Curtis, character in Fullmetal Alchemist
• Three brothers on The Outsiders, Ponyboy Curtis (the novel's narrator), Sodapop Curtis and Darrel "Darry" Curtis
• Jackson Curtis and Kate Curtis, fictional characters from 2012 (film)
• Curtis Hagen, character on White Collar

Given name

People

• Curtis Armstrong (born 1953), American actor
• Curtis Bolton (born 1995), American football player
• Curtis Brooks (born 1998), American football player
• Curtis Browning (born 1993), Australian Rugby Union player
• Curtis Bush (born 1962), American kickboxer
• Curtis Cheng, Hong Kong-Australian unsworn police employee shot dead by an Arab extremist
• Curtis Cregan (born 1977), American singer and actor
• Curtis Enis (born 1976), NFL running back
• Curtis Granderson (born 1981), New York Mets outfielder
• Curtis Hanson (born 1945), American filmmaker
• Curtis Hodges (born 1999), American football player
• Curtis Jackson III (born 1975), American rapper, actor and entrepreneur (better known as 50 Cent)
• Curtis Jerrells (born 1987), basketball player for Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Premier League
• Curtis Joseph (born 1967), Canadian ice hockey goaltender
• Curtis Lazar, ice hockey player
• Curtis Lee (1939–2015), American singer
• Curtis LeMay (1906–1990), American general in the United States Air Force
• Curtis Martin (born 1973), American football player
• Curtis Mayfield (1942–1999), American singer-songwriter
• Curtis Naughton (born 1995), English Rugby League player
• Curtis Painter (born 1985), American football quarterback
• Curtis Reitz (born c. 1930), Algernon Sydney Biddle Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
• Curtis Robb (born 1972), British middle-distance runner
• Curtis Robinson (born 1998), American football player
• Curtis Rowe (born 1949), American basketball player
• Curtis Salgado (born 1954), rhythm and blues musician and singer-songwriter
• Curtis Samuel (born 1996), American football player
• Curtis Sironen (born 1993), Australian Rugby League player
• Curtis Stigers (born 1965), American singer-songwriter
• Curtis Stone (born 1975), Australian TV chef
• Curtis Strange (born 1955), American professional golfer
• Curtis Warren (born 1963), British criminal
• Curtis Weaver (born 1998), American football player
• Curtis Woodhouse (born 1980), English football player and boxer
• Curtis Yarvin (born 1973), American writer

Fictional characters

• Curtis Holt (Arrowverse), fictional character in Arrow on CW as Mister Terrific played by Actor Echo Kellum
• Curtis Donovan, fictional character played by actor Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as part of the UK television series Misfits
• Curtis Manning, fictional character played by Jamaican-Canadian actor Roger Cross as part of the television series 24
• Curtis Wilkins, fictional character from the comic strip Curtis
• Curtis (Stargate), recurring character in Stargate Universe

Middle name

People

• George Curtis Smith (1935–2020), United States District Court judge
• Marron Curtis Fort (1938–2019), American-German translator and educator

Fictional characters

• Amy Curtis March, one of the main characters of the novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

See also

• Courtois (disambiguation)
• Curtice

References

1. Percy Hide Reaney, Richard Middlewood Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames (1991), p. 121
2. CNRTL Etymologie de Courtois CNRTL (in French)
3. T. F. Hoad, English Etymology, Oxford University Press paperbook 1993. p. 101a

• Given names
• Surnames
• English masculine given names
• Masculine given names
• English-language surnames