Curtis

• Origin: Anglo-Norman English
• Meaning: “courteous.”
• Gender: Male
• First Est. 16th-century
• Usage: English, French (more uncommon and recent)
• Variations: Curtiss, Kurtis(s)
• Diminutives: Curt, Curtie, Curty, Kurt, Kurtie, Kurty

From the transferred use of the Anglo-Norman surname, Curtis derives from the Old French curteis (“courteous”). The surname originally developed from an Anglo-Norman nickname. Curtis was already established as a masculine given name by the early 1500s.

Curtis has ranked among the U.S. Top 1,000 male names every year since records began in 1880. It first entered the Top 100 in 1929 at #99. After briefly falling back out, it reentered the Top 100 in 1939 and spent most of the following five decades there, with only occasional dips just below it. Curtis reached its highest U.S. rank of #72 in 1973. Its popularity declined considerably from the 1990s onward, though it has remained within the Top 1,000. As of 2025, it was the 984th most popular male name.

The name has also experienced considerable usage elsewhere in the English-speaking world. Curtis was particularly successful in Canada, where it remained within the Top 100 into the early 2000s, ranking #78 in both 1999 and 2000, #84 in 2001 and #91 in 2002.

In England & Wales, Curtis was especially fashionable during the 1990s. It ranked #85 in 1997, but its popularity subsequently declined. The name also saw some popularity in Scotland, where it reached approximately #135 during the mid-1990s, and in Ireland, where it reached approximately #162 in the late 1990s.

Although Curtis has been used in Australia and New Zealand, its strongest documented popularity appears to have been in the United States and Canada, with a secondary period of popularity in Britain and Ireland during the late 20th century.

Curtis has also enjoyed notable usage in France. Although sporadically recorded there from the mid-20th century, the name remained extremely rare until the late 1980s and began to increase more noticeably during the 1990s. Its usage accelerated during the 2000s, culminating in 2010, when 131 boys were named Curtis, the highest annual total recorded for the name in France. It remained in use over the next several years, with 119 births in 2011, 115 in 2012 and 108 in 2013; Curtis ranked #480 among French boys’ names in 2012. Its usage has since declined, though it remains regularly given: 83 boys received the name in 2017, 62 in 2020, 57 in 2023, and 35 in both 2024 and 2025.

Sister Names: Allison, Amy, Ashley, Beverly, Brittany, Brooke, Connie, Courtney, Chelsea, Dana, Deanna, Delaney, Ellery, Emerson, Erin, Fallon, Flannery, Gillian, Gwen, Hadley, Hillary, Hollis, Jocelyn, Jodie/Jody, Joyce, Kellie/Kelly, Kerry, Kimberly,, Lindsay, Lori, Lynn(e), Mackenzie, Mallory, Morgan, Nancy, Nell, Nora(h), Paige, Quinn, Robin, Rhonda, Sheridan, Shirley, Stac(e)y, Tammy, Terri(e), Trac(e)y, Whitney

Brother Names: Alan/Allen, Austin, Avery, Bradley, Brandon, Brock, Carter, Cor(e)y, Craig, Dale, Darryl, Dean, Emmett, Elliott, Ellis, Franklin, Floyd, Gary, Glenn, Grant, Howard, Hugh, Humphrey, Ian, Irving, Jared, Jason, Jeffrey, Lance, Lincoln, Lloyd, Kenneth, Keith, Kent, Marshall, Mitchell, Morgan, Nathan, Neil, Nolan, Owen, Orson, Orville, Palmer, Preston, Price, Quinn, Quincy, Randall, Randy, Russell, Scott, Spencer, Sterling, Trace/Tracy, Troy, Tyler, Vance, Vaughn, Vernon, Wade, Wayne, Wesley

Sources

• https://www.behindthename.com/name/curtis
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis
• https://www.familysearch.org/en/surname?surname=Curtis
• https://names.darkgreener.com/#curtis
• https://www.journaldesfemmes.fr/prenoms/curtis/prenom-8544
• https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/8595130