Curtis
A surname meaning “courteous” or “polite,” originally a nickname for a well-mannered person.
The #309 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 3,033 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Curtis comes from Anglo-Norman French curteis, meaning courteous, civil, or refined. The name was used as a nickname for someone known for courtly manners, and English forms developed from that source over time. Some older writers also connected it with shorter clothing or hose, but the standard explanation is the “courteous” one.
History
The surname appears in England from the medieval period and becomes common quite early. It is a classic nickname surname, and related spellings such as Curteis, Curtoys, and Courtis reflect medieval variation in French and English spelling. It later spread widely in Britain and, through migration, to North America and other English-speaking regions.
Origin
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Fun fact
Some 19th-century surname writers thought Curtis might be linked to short clothing, but most modern etymologies treat it as simply “the courteous one.”
From the historical record
“sword. CURTIS. CURTEIS. CURTOYS. Norm. Fr. curteis, curtols. Civil, courteous. See Eng. Surn. i. 143. CURWEN. The Curwens of Working- ton claim descent from the famous Gospa- tric, earl of Northumberland. They "took that name by covenant from Culwen, a family of Galloway, the heir whereof the}'”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom