# Curtis (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/curtis/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

An English surname transferred from the nickname, originally a nickname for a refined or courtly person.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | nickname, from a description or nickname of an ancestor |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 101,801 |
| US rank (2010) | 309 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 3,033 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.9% (98,958 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɝtɪs/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Curtiss |

## Etymology

From Old French corteis and curteis (Modern French courtois (“polite, courteous”). Doublet of courteous.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Curtis in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 78% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 16% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.6% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.0% |
| Two or more races | 2.1% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Curtis in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

## People named Curtis

- Tony Curtis, American actor (1925–2010)
- Jamie Lee Curtis, American actress and author
- Heber Doust Curtis, American astronomer (1872-1942)
- Thomas Curtis, American athlete (1873–1944)
- Edward S. Curtis, American photographer (1868-1952)
- Ann Curtis, American swimmer
- Kelly Curtis, American actress
- Ken Curtis, American actor and singer (1916–1991)
- Alan Curtis, American actor (1909-1953)
- John R. Curtis, American politician (born 1960)
- Adam Curtis, British documentary filmmaker (born 1955)
- Robin Curtis, American actress

and 32 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Crites, Curtiss, Courts, Courtois, Curtsinger, Cortez, Cortes, Cardoza, Cardoso, Crutchfield, Craddock, Cartagena.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.