Curtis Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Curtis last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Meaning and origin of the Curtis last name
Meaning of the Curtis last name: courteous, refined. Curtis began as a nickname meaning courteous or refined, from Old French curteis. It reached England with the Normans and spread widely across the south. A curious detail: in medieval times the nickname was sometimes given with a wink, to someone who was anything but polite. The name later travelled to America with some of the earliest colonists.
Arms associated with the Curtis name
In English heraldry, arms belonged to one person at a time and passed down to the eldest son, a custom of the tradition the Curtis name belongs to.
Get your full Curtis family history
This is only a glimpse of the Curtis story. The full Curtis history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Curtis coat of arms. Get the full Curtis report.
Curtis name FAQ
What does the Curtis name mean?
Courteous, refined. Common variants include Curtiss, Courtis, Curtois.
Where does the Curtis surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Ireland and Australia.
Is there a Curtis coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Curtis coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.