Curtis
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.
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 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 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.
Curtis or De Curtis is also a rare Italian surname from the Latin curtus, meaning "short".
Surname
People
- Adam Curtis, English television documentarian
- Alan Curtis (disambiguation)
- Alexander Curtis (disambiguation)
- Alice B. Curtis, American suffragist, writer
- Alice Turner Curtis, American writer
- Alison Curtis, Canadian Irish radio presenter
- Allen Curtis, American film director
- Andrew Curtis (cricketer), English cricketer
- Anne Curtis, Philippine actress
- Anthony Curtiss, American naturalist, elder brother of Sydney Curtiss and Thomas Quinn Curtiss
- Aubyn Curtiss, American politician
- Ben or Benjamin Curtis (disambiguation)
- Cathrine Curtis, American actress
- Catie Curtis, American singer-songwriter
- Chad Curtis, American former Major League Baseball player convicted of sexual assault
- Charles Curtis (disambiguation)
- Chet Curtis, American journalist
- Chris Curtis (fighter), American MMA fighter
- Chris Curtis (musician), British drummer and singer, best known for being with The Searchers
- Chris Curtis (politician), British Member of Parliament
- Chuck Curtis, American football coach
- Cliff Curtis (baseball), American baseball player
- Cliff Curtis, New Zealand film and television actor
- Chuck Curtis, American football player and coach
- Cyrus H. K. Curtis, American magazine publisher
- David Curtis (disambiguation)
- Dexter Curtis, American inventor and politician
- Dick Curtis, American actor
- Edmund Curtis, historian and professor of history
- Edward Curtis (disambiguation)
- Edwin Curtis, English Anglican archbishop in Mauritius
- Elden Francis Curtiss, American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church
- Emma Curtiss Bascom, American educator, suffragist and reformer
- Fanny Curtis, American sportswoman
- 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
- H. W. Curtis, Wisconsin state senator
- H. W. Curtiss, American politician
- Harriot Curtis, American golfer
- Harry Curtis (baseball), American baseball player
- Heber Doust Curtis, American astronomer
- Helen Noble Curtis, American activist, volunteer, educator and speaker
- Ian Curtis, English musician, lead singer of Joy Division
- James Webb Curtis, American physician and volunteer military personnel
- James Curtiss, American politician
- Jamie Lee Curtis, American actress
- Jasmine Curtis, Filipino actress
- Jim Curtiss, American baseball player
- John Curtis (disambiguation), also John Curtiss
- Joseph S. Curtis, American politician and lawyer
- Julian Wheeler Curtiss, golf equipment manufacturer
- Kathlyn Curtis, Canadian judge
- Kelly Curtis, American actress
- Kevin Curtis, American football player
- King Curtis, American saxophonist
- L. Perry Curtis, American historian of Ireland
- Larry Curtiss, American chemist
- Lee Curtis, British musician
- Leon Curtiss, American politician
- Lionel George Curtis, founder of the Royal Institute of International Affairs
- Louis Curtiss, Canadian-born American architect
- Louisa Knapp Curtis, columnist and first editor of The Ladies Home Journal
- Mac Curtis, American musician
- Margaret Curtis, American golfer and tennis player
- Margaret Curtis (archaeologist), British teacher and archaeologist
- Mark Curtis (British author), British political author
- Mark Curtis (SWP member), former American Socialist Worker's Party member
- Martha E. Sewall Curtis, American suffragist, writer
- Mary C. Curtis, American journalist
- Mary Louise Curtis, founder of the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia
- Mason Curtis, American football player
- Matt Curtis, American college baseball coach
- McClendon Curtis, American football player
- Michael Curtis (disambiguation)
- Moses Ashley Curtis, American botanist and mycologist
- Nannie Webb Curtis, American lecturer, temperance activist, and clubwoman
- Norma Curtis, British novelist
- Norman Curtis (footballer), English football player
- Patrick Curtis (bishop), Irish archbishop
- Patrick Curtis (producer), American producer
- Philip Curtis, English soldier
- Philip Curtiss, politician, novelist, and newspaper reporter
- Ralph Curtis, British flying ace
- Ralph Hamilton Curtiss, American astronomer
- Ralph Wormeley Curtis, American painter
- Reginald Salmond Curtis, British soldier
- Richard Curtis, British comedy scriptwriter
- Ronan Curtis, Irish football player
- Roy Curtiss, American microbiologist
- Samuel Curtis, English botanist
- Samuel Ryan Curtis, American Civil War Union general
- Sarah Curtis (geographer), British geographer and academic
- Scott Curtis (American football), American football player
- Scott Curtis (FBI agent), American former FBI special agent
- Sidney Curtiss, American politician
- Sonny Curtis, American singer-songwriter
- Tackett Curtis, American football player
- Thomas Bradford Curtis, American Representative from Missouri
- Thomas Quinn Curtiss, French-born writer, and film and theatre critic
- Tom Curtis (disambiguation)
- Tommy Curtis, American college basketball player
- Tony Curtis, American actor
- Ulysses Curtis, American football player
- Virginia Henry Curtiss Heckscher, president of The Heckscher Foundation for Children
- Walker M. Curtiss, American politician
- Wayne Curtis, English former footballer
- Wayne Curtis (footballer, born 1967), Welsh footballer
- Wilfred Curtis, Canadian airman
- Willa Pearl Curtis, American actress
- William Curtis, English botanist
- William Hanford Curtis, American circus superintendent
- Zelda Curtis, English author and journalist
- Curtis L. Meinert, American clinical trialist
Fictional characters
- Randall Curtis, in The Simpsons, based on George Lucas
- Rey Curtis, in the television series Law & Order
- Izumi Curtis and her husband Sig, in the manga and anime series Fullmetal Alchemist
- Jackson Curtis and Kate Curtis, in the film 2012
- Three brothers in The Outsiders: Ponyboy Curtis, Sodapop Curtis and Darrel "Darry" Curtis
Given name
People
- Curtis Armstrong, American actor
- Curtis Bolton, American football player
- Curtis Brooks, American football player
- Curtis Browning, Australian Rugby Union player
- Curtis Bush, American kickboxer
- Curtis Cheek, 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, American singer and actor
- Curtis Enis, NFL running back
- Curtis Granderson, New York Mets outfielder
- Curtis Hanson, American filmmaker
- Curtis Harrison, Canadian actor
- Curtis Hodges, American football player
- Curtis Jackson III, American rapper, actor and entrepreneur, known professionally as 50 Cent
- Curtis Jacobs, American football player
- Curtis Jensen, American shot putter
- Curtis Jerrells, basketball player in the Israeli Premier League
- Curtis Jobling, British author and illustrator
- Curtis Joseph, Canadian ice hockey goaltender
- Curtis Lazar, ice hockey player
- Curtis Lee, American singer
- Curtis LeMay, United States Air Force general
- Curtis Martin, American football player
- Curtis Mayfield, American singer-songwriter
- Curtis McDowald, American fencer
- Curtis L. Meinert, American clinical trialist
- Curtis Naughton, English rugby league footballer
- Curtis Painter, American football quarterback
- Curtis R. Reitz, law professor
- Curtis Robb, British middle-distance runner
- Curtis Roberts, West Indian cricketer
- Curtis Robinson, American football player
- Curtis Rowe, American basketball player
- Curtis Salgado, rhythm and blues musician and singer-songwriter
- Curtis Samuel, American football player
- Curtis Sironen, Australian rugby league footballer
- Curtis Stewart, American rapper, stage name Kidd Kidd
- Curtis Stigers, American singer-songwriter
- Curtis Stone, Australian TV chef
- Curtis Strange, American golfer
- Curtis Warren, British criminal
- Curtis Weaver, American football player
- Curtis Woodhouse, English football player and manager and boxer
- Curtis Yarvin, American writer
Fictional characters
- Curtis Donovan, in the UK television series Misfits
- Curtis Hagen, in the television series White Collar
- Curtis 'Curt' Henderson, in the movie American Graffiti
- Curtis Holt (Arrowverse), in the television series Arrow
- Curtis Manning (24 character), in the television series 24
- Curtis Pike, in the movie Afraid
- Curtis Wilkins, in the comic strip Curtis
- Curtis (Stargate), a recurring character in the television series ''Stargate Universe''