Curtis

Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin derived from the Old French curteis (Modern French courtois, surname Courtois) which means "polite, courteous, or well-bred". It is a compound of curt- ″court″ and -eis ″-ish″. 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.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 have adopted the name Curtis, since it is pronounced similarly and helped them integrate into their new community. The Spanish version of this last name is Cortés or Cortez. 2Surname uses: Curtis 3People Adam Curtis (born 1955), British television documentarian Alan Curtis (disambiguation), several people Andrew David Curtis (born 1943), English cricketer Anne Curtis (born 1985), Philippine actress Alison Curtis (born 1977), Canadian-Irish radio presenter Allen Curtis (1877–1961), American film director Benjamin Curtis (disambiguation), also Ben Curtis, multiple people Catie Curtis (born 1965), American singer-songwriter Chad Curtis (born 1968), American former major league baseball player convicted of sexual assault Charles Curtis (disambiguation), several people Charles Curtis (1860–1936), 31st Vice President of the United States (1929-1933) Charles Curtis (botanist) (1853–1928), English botanist who became the first superintendent of the Penang Botanic Gardens Chet Curtis (1939–2014), American journalist Charles W. Curtis (born 1926), American mathematician Chris Curtis (1941–2005), English musician, member of band The Searchers Chuck Curtis (1935–2016), American football coach Cliff Curtis (born 1968), New Zealand film and television actor Cliff Curtis (baseball) (1881-1943), American baseball player Clint Curtis (born 1958), American attorney Cyrus H. K. Curtis (1850–1933), an American publisher David Curtis (born 1948), Welsh Gymnast and Trampoline champion Dexter Curtis (1828–1898), American inventor and politician Dick Curtis (1902-1952), American actor Edwin Burr Curtiss (1852–1928), the president of A. G. Spalding Bros. Edward S. Curtis (1868–1952), photographer Edmund Curtis (1881–1943), historian and Professor of History George Ticknor Curtis (1812–1894), American politician and lawyer George William Curtis (1824–1892), American writer and public speaker Glenn Curtiss (1878–1930), American aviation pioneer and founder of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company Harriot Curtis (1881–1974), American golfer Harry Curtis (baseball) (1883–1951), American baseball player Heber Doust Curtis (1872–1942), American astronomer Ian Curtis (1956–1980), English musician, lead singer of Joy Division Jamie Lee Curtis (born 1958), American actress Jonathan Lee Curtis (born 1967), American Explorer, former U.S. Army Captain John Curtis (disambiguation), several people Joseph S. Curtis (1831–1878), American politician and lawyer Kathlyn Curtis, Manitoba judge Kelly Curtis (born 1956), American actress Kevin Curtis (born 1978), professional American football player King Curtis (1934–1971), American saxophonist L. Perry Curtis (born 1932), American historian of Ireland Lee Curtis (born Peter Flannery), British musician Lionel George Curtis (1872–1955), founder of the Royal Institute of International Affairs Mac Curtis (1939–2013), American musician Mark Curtis (British author), British political author Mark Curtis (SWP member) (born 1959), a former American Socialist Worker's Party member Mary Louise Curtis Bok Zimbalist (1876–1970), the founder of the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia Margaret Curtis (1883–1965) American golfer and tennis player Matt Curtis, American college baseball coach Moses Ashley Curtis (M.A.Curtis, 1808–1872), American botanist and mycologist Michael Curtis (disambiguation), several people Norman Curtis (footballer) (1924–2009), English football player Patrick Curtis (1740–1832), Irish archbishop Patrick Curtis (producer) (born 1938), American producer Philip Curtis (1926–1951), English soldier Reginald Salmond Curtis (1863-1922), British soldier Richard Curtis (born 1956), British comedy scriptwriter Samuel Curtis (S.Curtis, 1779–1860), English botanist Samuel Ryan Curtis (1805–1866), Union General in the American Civil War Sarah Curtis (geographer), British geographer and academic Scott Curtis (born 1984), Life FM radio presenter Tom Curtis (disambiguation), several people Thomas Bradford Curtis (1911–1993), American Representative from Missouri Tommy Curtis (born 1952), American former college basketball player Tony Curtis (1925–2010), American actor Ulysses Curtis (1926–2013), American football player Wayne Curtis (footballer, born 1967), Welsh football player William Curtis (1746–1799), English botanist 3Fictional 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 Three brothers on the TV series The Outsiders, Ponyboy Curtis (the shows narrator), Sodapop Curtis and Darrel "Darry" Curtis. Jackson Curtis and Kate Curtis, fictional characters from the film 201