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 Latin cohors. Nicknames include Curt, Curty and Curtie.
The name means "polite, courteous, or well-bred". It is a compound of curt- "court" and -eis "-ish". The spelling u to render [u] in Old French was mainly Anglo-Norman and Norman, when the spelling o [u] was the usual Parisian French one, Modern French ou [u]. -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.
Contents
Surname
People
Adam Curtis (born 1955), English television documentarian
Alan Curtis (disambiguation)
Alexander Curtis (disambiguation)
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
Ben or Benjamin Curtis (disambiguation)
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 (disambiguation)
Chet Curtis (1939–2014), American journalist
Chris Curtis (fighter) (born 1987), American MMA fighter
Fictional characters
Rey Curtis, in the television series Law & Order
Izumi Curtis and her husband Sig, in the manga and anime series Fullmetal Alchemist
Three brothers in The Outsiders: Ponyboy Curtis (the novel's narrator), Sodapop Curtis and Darrel "Darry" Curtis
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 Cheek (1958–2024), American bridge player and aerospace engineer
Curtis Cheng, Hong Kong–Australian unsworn police employee shot dead by an Arab extremist
Curtis Cochran, American politician
Curtis Cregan (born 1977), American singer and actor
Curtis Enis (born 1976), NFL running back
Curtis Grace, American politician
Curtis Granderson (born 1981), New York Mets outfielder
Curtis Hanson (born 1945), American filmmaker
Curtis Harrison (born 1978), Canadian actor
Curtis Hodges (born 1999), American football player
Curtis Jackson III (born 1975), American rapper, actor and entrepreneur, known professionally as 50 Cent
Curtis Jacobs (born 2002), American football player
Fictional characters
Curtis Donovan, in the UK television series Misfits
Curtis Hagen, in the television series White Collar
Curtis Holt (Arrowverse), in the television series Arrow
Curtis Manning (24 character), in the television series 24
Curtis Wilkins, in the comic strip Curtis
Curtis (Stargate), a recurring character in the television series Stargate Universe
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Chris Curtis (musician) (1941–2005), British drummer and singer, best known for being with The Searchers
Chris Curtis (politician) (born 1994), British Member of Parliament
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
Chuck Curtis (1935–2016), American football player and coach
Cyrus H. K. Curtis (1850–1933), American magazine publisher
David Curtis (disambiguation)
Dexter Curtis (1828–1898), American inventor and politician
Dick Curtis (1902–1952), American actor
Edmund Curtis (1881–1943), historian and professor of history
Edward Curtis (disambiguation)
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), née Curtiss, American educator, suffragist and reformer
Fanny Curtis (1908–2003), American sportswoman
Findlay Curtis (born 2006), Scottish footballer
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 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 Webb Curtis (1856–1921), American physician and volunteer military personnel
James Curtiss (1803–1859), American politician
Jamie Lee Curtis (born 1958), American actress
Jasmine Curtis (born 1994), Filipino actress
Jim Curtiss (1861–1945), American baseball player
John Curtis (disambiguation), also John Curtiss
Joseph S. Curtis (1831–1878), American politician and lawyer
Kelly Curtis (skeleton racer) (born 1989), American skeleton racer
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
Margaret Curtis (archaeologist) (1941–2022), British teacher and archaeologist
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 (1876–1970), founder of the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia
Mason Curtis (born 2005), American football player
Matt Curtis, American college baseball coach
McClendon Curtis (born 1999), American football player
Michael Curtis (disambiguation)
Moses Ashley Curtis (M.A. Curtis, 1808–1872), American botanist and mycologist
Namahyoke Curtis (1861–1935), American nurse and civil leader
Nannie Webb Curtis (1861–1920), American lecturer, temperance activist, and clubwoman
Norma Curtis, British novelist
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 Curtis (1898–1917), British flying ace
Ralph Hamilton Curtiss (1880–1929), American astronomer
Ralph Wormeley Curtis (1854–1922), American painter
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), American Civil War Union general
Sarah Curtis (geographer), British geographer and academic
Scott Curtis (American football) (born 1964), American football player
Scott Curtis (FBI agent) (fl. 1980s–2020s), American former FBI special agent
Sidney Curtiss (1917–1994), American politician
Sonny Curtis (1937–2025), American singer-songwriter
Tackett Curtis, American football player
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)
Tommy Curtis (1952–2021), American college basketball player
Tony Curtis (1925–2010), American actor
Ulysses Curtis (1926–2013), American football player
Ursula Curtiss (1923–1984), American mystery writer
Virginia Henry Curtiss Heckscher (1875–1941), president of The Heckscher Foundation for Children
Walker M. Curtiss (1852–1917), American politician
Wayne Curtis (born 1980), English former footballer
Wayne Curtis (footballer, born 1967), Welsh footballer
Wilfred Curtis (1893–1977), Canadian airman
Willa Pearl Curtis (1896–1970), American actress
William Curtis (1746–1799), English botanist
William Hanford Curtis (1873–1955), American circus superintendent
Zelda Curtis (1923–2012), English author and journalist
Curtis L. Meinert (1934–2023), American clinical trialist
Curtis Jensen (born 1990), American shot putter
Curtis Jerrells (born 1987), basketball player in the Israeli Premier League
Curtis Jobling (born 1972), British author and illustrator
Curtis Joseph (born 1967), Canadian ice hockey goaltender
Curtis Lazar, ice hockey player
Curtis Lee (1939–2015), American singer
Curtis LeMay (1906–1990), United States Air Force general
Curtis Martin (born 1973), American football player
Curtis Mayfield (1942–1999), American singer-songwriter
Curtis McDowald (born 1996), American fencer
Curtis L. Meinert (1934–2023), American clinical trialist
Curtis Naughton (born 1995), English rugby league footballer
Curtis Painter (born 1985), American football quarterback
Curtis R. Reitz (born 1929), law professor
Curtis Robb (born 1972), British middle-distance runner
Curtis Roberts (born 1975), West Indian cricketer
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 footballer
Curtis Stewart (born 1983), American rapper, stage name Kidd Kidd
Curtis Stigers (born 1965), American singer-songwriter
Curtis Stone (born 1975), Australian TV chef
Curtis Strange (born 1955), American golfer
Curtis Warren (born 1963), British criminal
Curtis Weaver (born 1998), American football player
Curtis Woodhouse (born 1980), English football player and manager and boxer
Curtis Yarvin (born 1973), American writer
Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from the Old French curteis which was in turn derived from Latin cohors. Nicknames include Curt, Curty and Curtie.
