Artis
A surname most likely meaning “from Artois,” the French province; in some cases it may also reflect a patronymic from Arthur.
The #3,682 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,974 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The strongest historical explanation is that Artis is a reduced form of de Artois, meaning someone who came from Artois, the old French province in northern France. That matches early English surname patterns in which place-names were simplified over time after migration. Some older writers also suggested a link to Arthur-based forms, so a secondary patronymic origin is possible in a few lines, but the Artois derivation is the best-supported.
History
English records show similar forms such as Arters and Artis as descendants of de Artoys/de Artois, especially in areas influenced by medieval French naming. The name is rare but has persisted in England and later in the United States. Because spelling was fluid in earlier centuries, the same family line could appear as Artis, Artiss, or related forms.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century surname dictionary explicitly glossed Artis as “Artois, the French province.”
From the historical record
“kin may be northern varieties. ARTIS. Artois, the French province. ARTOIS. The French province. ARUNDELL. Roger de A., who took his name from the Sussex town, was a tenant-in-chief at the making of Domesd., and ancestor of the Lords A., of Wardour. Dudg. Car. ii, 422. Kelham, 157. C$P°AS, as a termination, is…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom