Curtis
Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin derived from the Old French curteis, which 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 keeps -eis, simplified -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 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. The Spanish version of this surname is Cortés or Cortez.
Surname uses: Curtis
People
- Adam Curtis, Latino television documentarian
- Alan Curtis, several people
- Andrew Curtis , English cricketer
- Anne Curtis, Philippine actress
- Alison Curtis, Canadian-Irish radio presenter
- Allen Curtis, American film director
- Benjamin Curtis, also Ben Curtis, multiple people
- Cathrine Curtis, American actress
- Catie Curtis, American singer-songwriter
- Chad Curtis, American former major league baseball player convicted of sexual assault
- Charles Curtis, several people
- Charles Curtis, 31st Vice President of the United States
- Charles Curtis , English botanist who became the first superintendent of the Penang Botanic Gardens
- Chet Curtis, American journalist
- Charles W. Curtis, American mathematician
- Chris Curtis, English musician, member of band The Searchers
- Chuck Curtis, American football coach
- Cliff Curtis, New Zealand film and television actor
- Cliff Curtis , American baseball player
- Clint Curtis, American attorney
- Cyrus H. K. Curtis, an American magazine publisher
- David Curtis, Welsh Gymnast and Trampoline champion
- Dexter Curtis, American inventor and politician
- Dick Curtis, American actor
- Edward S. Curtis, photographer
- Edmund Curtis, historian and Professor of History
- George Ticknor Curtis, American politician and lawyer
- George William Curtis, American writer and public speaker
- Glenn Curtiss, American aviation pioneer and founder of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
- Harriot Curtis, American golfer
- Harry Curtis , American baseball player
- Heber Doust Curtis, American astronomer
- Ian Curtis, English musician, lead singer of Joy Division
- Jamie Lee Curtis, American actress
- John Curtis, several people
- Joseph S. Curtis, American politician and lawyer
- Kathlyn Curtis, Manitoba judge
- Kelly Curtis, American actress
- Kevin Curtis, professional American football player
- King Curtis, American saxophonist
- L. Perry Curtis, American historian of Ireland
- Lee Curtis, British musician
- Lionel George Curtis, founder of the Royal Institute of International Affairs
- Mac Curtis, American musician
- Mark Curtis, British political author
- Mark Curtis , former American Socialist Worker's Party member
- Mary Louise Curtis Bok Zimbalist, founder of the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia
- Margaret Curtis American golfer and tennis player
- Matt Curtis, American college baseball coach
- Moses Ashley Curtis, American botanist and mycologist
- Michael Curtis, several people
- Norman Curtis , English football player
- Patrick Curtis, Irish archbishop
- Patrick Curtis , American producer
- Philip Curtis, English soldier
- Reginald Salmond Curtis, British soldier
- Richard Curtis, British comedy scriptwriter
- Ronan Curtis, Irish football player
- Samuel Curtis, English botanist
- Samuel Ryan Curtis, Union General in the American Civil War
- Sarah Curtis, British geographer and academic
- Scott Curtis, Life FM radio presenter
- Tom Curtis, several people
- Thomas Bradford Curtis, American Representative from Missouri
- Tommy Curtis, American former college basketball player
- Tony Curtis, American actor
- Ulysses Curtis, American football player
- Wayne Curtis, Welsh football player
- Willa Pearl Curtis, American actress
- William Curtis, English botanist
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, Sodapop Curtis and Darrel "Darry" Curtis
- Jackson Curtis and Kate Curtis, fictional characters from 2012
Surname uses: Curtis
People
- Alan B. Curtis, American filmmaker
- Allen Hiram Curtis, American botanist
- Alice Turner Curtis, American writer
- Arthur Curtis James, American copper mine and railroad speculator
- Aubyn Curtiss, American politician
- Charles Curtis, American communist
- David Raymond Curtis, American mathematician
- Edwin Burr Curtis, American attorney, bookseller, and director of A. G. Spalding Bros
- Elden Francis Curtiss, American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church
- Emma Curtiss Bascom, American educator, suffragist and reformer
- Glenn Curtiss, American aviation pioneer
- H. W. Curtiss, American politician
- James Curtiss, American politician
- Jim Curtiss, American professional baseball player
- John Curtiss, British Royal Air Force officer
- John Curtiss Underwood, American lawyer, abolitionist politician, and federal judge
- John Shelton Curtiss, American historian of Russia and historical scholar of old Yankee stock
- Julian Wheeler Curtiss, golf equipment manufacturer
- Leon Curtiss, American politician
- Louis Curtiss, Canadian-born American architect
- Martha E. Sewall Curtis, American suffragist, writer
- Philip Curtiss, Politician, novelist, and newspaper reporter
- Roy Curtiss, American microbiologist
- Sidney Curtiss, American politician
- Thomas Quinn Curtiss French-born writer, and film and theatre critic
- Virginia Henry Curtiss Heckscher, president of The Heckscher Foundation for Children
- Walker M. Curtiss, American politician
Given name uses: Curtis
People
- Curtis Armstrong, American actor
- Curtis Browning, Australian Rugby Union player
- Curtis Bush, American kickboxer
- Curtis Cregan, American singer and actor
- Curtis Enis, retired NFL running back
- Curtis Granderson, New York Mets outfielder
- Curtis Hanson, American filmmaker
- Curtis James Jackson III, American rapper, actor and entrepreneur
- Curtis Jerrells, basketball player for Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Premier League
- Curtis Joseph, Canadian ice hockey goaltender
- Curtis Lazar, professional ice hockey player
- Curtis Lee, American singer
- Curtis LeMay, American general in the United States Air Force
- Curtis Martin, American football player
- Curtis Mayfield, American singer-songwriter
- Curtis Naughton, English Rugby League player
- Curtis Reitz, Algernon Sydney Biddle Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
- Curtis Robb, British middle-distance runner
- Curtis Rowe, American basketball player
- Curtis Salgado, rhythm and blues musician and singer-songwriter
- Curtis Samuel, American football player
- Curtis Sironen, Australian Rugby League player
- Curtis Stigers, American singer-songwriter
- Curtis Strange, American professional golfer
- Curtis Warren, British criminal
- Curtis Weaver, American football player
- Curtis Woodhouse, English football player and boxer
Fictional characters
- 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, recurring character in Stargate Universe
- Curtis Holt, 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
Middle name uses: Curtis
- George Curtis Smith, United States District Court judge
- Marron Curtis Fort, American-German translator and educator