Curtis

Curtis or Curtiss is a common given name and surname of English origin derived from the Old French curteis (Modern French courtois) which means "polite, courteous, or well-bred".^[1] It is a compound of curt- ″court″ and -eis ″-ish″.^[2] 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 -is in English. The word court shares the same etymology but retains a Modern French spelling, after the orthography had changed.^[3]

It was brought to England (and subsequently, the rest of the Isles) via the Norman Conquest.

Many Hungarian immigrants in English speaking countries with the last name Kertész ″Gardener″ have adopted the name Curtis, since it is pronounced similarly and helped them integrate into their new community.

Surname uses: Curtis

People

• Adam Curtis (born 1955), a British television documentarian
• Alison Curtis (born 1977), a Canadian-Irish radio presenter
• Benjamin Robbins Curtis (1809–1874), an American jurist
• Catie Curtis (born 1965), an American singer-songwriter
• Charles Curtis (1860–1936), an American Vice President
• Charles Curtis (botanist) (1853–1928), an English botanist who became the first superintendent of the Penang Botanic Gardens
• Charles W. Curtis (born 1926), an American mathematician
• Cyrus Hermann Kotzschmar Curtis (1850–1933), an American publisher
• David Curtis (born 1948), a Welsh Gymnast and Trampoline champion
• Edwin Burr Curtiss, the president of A. G. Spalding Bros.
• Edward S. Curtis (1868–1952), a photographer
• Edmund Curtis (1881–1943), a historian and Professor of History
• George Ticknor Curtis (1812–1894), an American politician and lawyer
• George William Curtis (1824–1892), an American writer and public speaker
• Glenn Curtiss (1878–1930), an American aviation pioneer and founder of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
• Harriot Curtis (1881–1974), an American golfer
• Harry Curtis (baseball) (1883–1951), American baseball player
• Heber Doust Curtis (1872–1942), an American astronomer
• Ian Curtis (1956–1980), a British singer-songwriter for Joy Division
• Jamie Lee Curtis (born 1958), an American actress
• John Curtis (disambiguation), several people
• Kathlyn Curtis, a Manitoba judge
• Kelly Curtis (born 1956), an American actress
• Kevin Curtis (born 1978), a professional American football player
• King Curtis (1934–1971), an American saxophonist
• Lee Curtis (born Peter Flannery), a British musician
• Lionel Curtis (1872–1955), founder of the Royal Institute of International Affairs
• Mark Curtis (British author), a British political author
• Mark Curtis (SWP member), a former American Socialist Worker's Party member
• Mary Louise Curtis Bok, the founder of the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia
• Margaret Curtis (1883–1965) an American golfer and tennis player
• Matt Curtis, American college baseball coach
• Moses Ashley Curtis (M.A.Curtis, 1808–1872), an American botanist and mycologist
• Norman Curtis (1924–2009), an English football player
• Philip Kenneth Edward Curtis (1926–1951), a decorated English soldier
• Richard Curtis (born 1956), a British comedy scriptwriter
• Samuel Curtis (S.Curtis, 1779–1860), an English botanist
• Samuel Ryan Curtis (1805–1866), a Union General in the American Civil War
• Scott Curtis (born 1984), a Life FM radio presenter
• Tom Curtis (disambiguation), several people
  • Thomas Bradford Curtis (1911–1993), an American Representative from Missouri
• Tommy Curtis (born 1952), American former college basketball player
• Tony Curtis (1925—2010), an American actor
• William Curtis (1746–1799), an English botanist

Fictional characters

• Randall Curtis, a character on The Simpsons based on George Lucas
• Rey Curtis, a character on Law & Order
• Izumi Curtis, a character in Fullmetal Alchemist
• Sophia Curtis, a character in CSI Las Vegas
• Jade Curtiss, a character in Tales of the Abyss
• Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Darry Curtis, the main characters in The Outsiders
• Regina Curtis, a character in Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk
• Curtis, a servant of Petruchio from William Shakespeare's play, The Taming of the Shrew

This page or section lists people with the surname Curtis. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.

Surname uses: Curtiss

People

• Charles Curtiss (1908–1993), American Communist
• David Raymond Curtiss (1878–1953), American mathematician
• Glenn Curtiss (1878–1930), aviation pioneer

This page or section lists people with the surname Curtis. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.

Given name uses: Curtis

People

• Curtis Armstrong (born 1953), an American actor
• Curtis Bush (born 1962), an American kickboxer
• Curtis Darling (born 1983), Canadian ice hockey goaltender
• Curtis Enis (born 1976), a retired NFL running back
• Curtis Granderson (born 1981), a New York Yankees center fielder
• Curtis Hanson (born 1945), an American filmmaker
• Curtis James Jackson III (born 1975), an American rapper and actor (known as 50 Cent)
• Curtis Martin (born 1973), an American football player
• Curtis Mayfield, an American soul singer, songwriter and musician
• Curtis Robb (born 1972), a British middle-distance runner
• Curtis Salgado (born 1954), a rhythm and blues musician and singer-songwriter
• Curtis Strange (born 1955), an American professional golfer
• Curtis Warren (born 1963), a British criminal
• Curtis Woodhouse (born 1980), an English football player and boxer

This page or section lists people that share the same given name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.

Fictional characters

• Curtis Manning, a fictional character played by Jamaican-Canadian actor Roger Cross as part of the television series 24
• Curtis Wilkins, a fictional character from the comic strip Curtis
• Curtis (Stargate), a recurring character in Stargate Universe
• Curtis Donovan, a fictional character played by actor Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as part of the UK television series Misfits

Companies

• Curtis Publishing Company former publisher of Saturday Evening Post and Ladies Home Journal
• Curtiss Candy Company which made Baby Ruth and Butterfinger candy bars
• Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, pioneering aircraft manufacturer founded by Glenn Curtiss
• Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, international law firm based in New York City

Places

• Curtis, Galicia

References

See also

• Courtois