Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin from the

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligi ...

''curteis'' (

Modern French French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some Europe ...

''courtois'') which 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

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.T. F. Hoad, ''English Etymology'', Oxford University Press paperbook 1993. p. 101a It was brought to England (and subsequently, the rest of the Isles) via the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conq ...

. 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 The following is a list of English-speaking population by country, including information on both native speakers and second-language speakers. List * The European Union is a supranational union composed of 27 member states. The total ...

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 Adam Curtis (born 26 May 1955) is an English documentary filmmaker. Curtis began his career as a conventional documentary producer for the BBC throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s. The release of '' Pandora's Box'' (1992) marked t ...

(born 1955), English television documentarian *

Alan Curtis (disambiguation) Alan Curtis may refer to: * Alan Curtis (American actor) (1909–1953), American film actor * Alan Curtis (British actor) (1930–2021), English actor and cricket announcer * Alan Curtis (footballer) (born 1954), former Welsh international footb ...

, multiple people *

Alice Turner Curtis Alice Turner Curtis (September 6, 1860 – July 10, 1958) was an American writer of juvenile historical fiction. She was probably best remembered by young readers of her day for ''The Little Maid's Historical Series'' (which comprises twenty-fou ...

(1860–1958), American writer *

Alison Curtis Alison "Ally" Curtis (born 1 November 1977 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada) is a presenter of radio on Irish radio station Today FM She currently presents her own show, "Saturday Breakfast with Alison Curtis" on Today FM which airs every Saturday ...

(born 1977), Canadian-Irish radio presenter *

Allen Curtis Allen Curtis (1877 – November 24, 1961), was an American film director of the silent era. He directed 278 films between 1913 and 1922. He was born in New York, New York and died in Hollywood, California. Selected filmography * ''The T ...

(1877–1961), American film director *

Andrew Curtis (cricketer) Andrew David Curtis (born 1943) is a former English cricketer with Bedfordshire and Oxford University. Career Andrew David Curtis was born on 12 January 1943 in Bedford and was educated at Elstow Primary School, Bedford Modern School, the Un ...

(born 1943), English cricketer *

Anne Curtis Anne Curtis-Smith(; born 17 February 1985) is a Filipino-Australian actress, model, television host, entrepreneur and recording artist. She is dubbed as the "''Multimedia Superstar''" for her talent and influence. Curtis has received numerou ...

(born 1985), Philippine actress *

Anthony Curtiss Anthony Curtiss, pen name of Roy Abijah Curtiss Jr (born in Brooklyn, New York 10 May 1910, died 12 July 1981 in Karachi, Pakistan), also known in his later life as Muhammad Abdullah al-Hussein, was an American naturalist who wrote a short, and s ...

(1919–1981), American naturalist, elder brother of Sydney Curtiss and Thomas Quinn Curtiss *

Aubyn Curtiss Aubyn Curtiss (July 1, 1925 – August 9, 2017) was an American politician in the state of Montana Montana () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West List of regions of the United States#Census Bureau-designated ...

(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) Charles Curtis (1853 – 23 August 1928) was an English botanist who was sent by James Veitch & Sons to search for new plant species in Madagascar, Borneo, Sumatra, Java and the Moluccas, before settling in Penang, where he became the first supe ...

(1853–1928), English botanist who became the first superintendent of the Penang Botanic Gardens * Charles Curtis (disambiguation), several people *

Charles Curtis Charles Curtis (January 25, 1860 – February 8, 1936) was an American attorney and Republican politician from Kansas who served as the 31st vice president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 under Herbert Hoover. He had served as the Senat ...

(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 Chris Curtis (born Christopher Crummey; 26 August 1941 – 28 February 2005) was an English drummer and singer who was best known for being with the 1960s beat band The Searchers. He originated the concept behind Deep Purple and formed the ...

(1941–2005), English musician, member of band The Searchers * Chuck Curtis (1935–2016), American football coach *

Cliff Curtis (baseball) Clifton Garfield Curtis (July 3, 1881 – April 23, 1943) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. His middle name, Garfield, is assumed to derive from that of U.S. president and fellow Ohio native James A. Garfield, who was fatally shot the day ...

(1881–1943), American baseball player *

Cliff Curtis Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis (born 27 July 1968) is a New Zealand actor. His film credits include '' Once Were Warriors'' (1994), ''Three Kings'' (1999), '' Training Day'' (2001), '' Whale Rider'' (2002), ''Collateral Damage'' (2002), ''Sunshin ...

(born 1968), New Zealand film and television actor * Cyrus H. K. Curtis (1850–1933), American magazine publisher *

David Curtis David Curtis may refer to: * David Curtis (rugby union) (born 1965), Irish rugby union international *David L. Curtis (born 1947), American politician in the North Carolina Senate *David Roderick Curtis (1927–2017), Australian scientist * David Wh ...

(born 1948), Irish rugby union player and cricketer *

Dexter Curtis Dexter Curtis (September 12, 1828 – May 15, 1898) was an American inventor, businessman, and politician. Born in Schenectady, New York, Curtis grew up on a farm. He was in the lumber business and lived in Louisiana, Michigan, and Chicago, Ill ...

(1828–1898), American inventor and politician *

Dick Curtis Richard Dye (May 11, 1902January 3, 1952), known professionally as Dick Curtis, was an American actor who made over 230 film and television appearances during his career. Early years Curtis was born in Newport, Kentucky, the son of Frank Dye ...

(1902–1952), American actor *

Edmund Curtis Edmund CurtisIrish: ''Éamon Cuirtéis'' (1881–1943), was born in Lancashire to Irish parents. He worked in a rubber factory until he was 15 when he continued with his education. His education was paid for through donations when it was heard ...

(1881–1943), historian and Professor of History * Edward S. Curtis (1868–1952), photographer * Larry Curtiss, American chemist * 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 George Ticknor Curtis (November 28, 1812 – March 28, 1894) was an American historian, lawyer, and writer. Biography Curtis was born in Watertown, Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard University in 1832 and then Harvard Law School. After ...

(1812–1894), American politician and lawyer * George William Curtis (1824–1892), American writer and public speaker *

Glenn Curtiss Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early ...

(1878–1930), American aviation pioneer *

(1878–1930), American aviation pioneer and founder of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company *

H. W. Curtiss Dr. Harvey Willard Curtiss (February 22, 1824 – April 30, 1902) was a Republican legislator from the U.S. state of Ohio who, as the president of the Ohio Senate, became the 13th lieutenant governor of Ohio 1877–1878 when the governor resi ...

(1824–1902), American politician *

Harriot Curtis Harriot Sumner Curtis (June 30, 1881 – October 25, 1974) was an American amateur golfer and an early participant in the sport of skiing. From the Manchester, Massachusetts area, she was one of ten children. Her father was a colonel in the ...

(1881–1974), American golfer * Harry Curtis (baseball) (1883–1951), American baseball player * Heber Doust Curtis (1872–1942), American astronomer *

Ian Curtis Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums '' Unknown ...

(1956–1980), English musician, lead singer of Joy Division *

James Curtiss James Curtiss (also Curtis; March 29, 1806 – November 2, 1859) was an American politician who twice served as Mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1847–1848 and 1850–1851) for the Democratic Party. Early life Born on April 7, 1806 in Wethersf ...

(1803–1859), American politician *

Jamie Lee Curtis Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress, producer, children's author, and activist. She came to prominence with her portrayal of Lt. Barbara Duran on the ABC sitcom '' Operation Petticoat'' (19