2000
#3,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,350
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.47
Uncommon Last name
Curtin
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O'Curtin," meaning "descendant of Curtin," a personal name of uncertain meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,371 Americans carry the last name Curtin. That puts it at #3,828 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,049 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Curtin surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Curtin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,049
Census rank
#3,828
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.0K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,044 bearers of the surname Curtin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3828th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Curtin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Curtin
The surname Curtin originated in Ireland, likely in the 15th or 16th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "Ó Cuirtin," which means "descendant of Cuirtin." The name Cuirtin itself is thought to be a diminutive form of the word "curt," meaning "courteous" or "polite."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Curtin can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The Annals mention several individuals with the surname Curtin, including John Curtin, who was killed in a battle in 1548.
The Curtin surname was particularly prevalent in County Cork and County Kerry, where many families bearing this name lived for generations. Some notable individuals with the surname Curtin from this region include Sir Edmond Curtin (1542-1624), an Irish lawyer and judge, and Jeremiah Curtin (1835-1906), an American linguist and translator who specialized in Irish and Native American languages.
Another significant figure in the history of the Curtin surname is John Curtin (1885-1945), who served as the 14th Prime Minister of Australia during World War II. Born in Creswick, Victoria, Curtin played a crucial role in leading Australia's war effort and strengthening the country's alliance with the United States.
In the United States, the Curtin surname can be traced back to Irish immigrants who arrived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. One notable American with this surname was Andrew Gregg Curtin (1817-1894), who served as the Governor of Pennsylvania during the American Civil War and played a significant role in supporting the Union cause.
Other notable individuals with the surname Curtin include Kathleen Curtin (1884-1968), an American educator and author, and Michael Curtin (born 1954), an Irish-born Australian businessman and philanthropist.
While the Curtin surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread across the globe, with families bearing this name found in countries such as Australia, the United States, and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Curtin
Among Census respondents with the surname Curtin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Curtin bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Curtin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 8,267
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 321
- Two or more races3.1% · 279
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 102
- Black or African American0.7% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Curtin
Curtin appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,513
+163 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 3.22
Rank movement Down 228 places
2020
#3,828
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,044
-469 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 3.03
Rank movement Down 103 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,497 | 9,350 | 3.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,725 | 9,513 | 3.22 | +163 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 228 places |
| 2020 | #3,828 | 9,044 | 3.03 | -469 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 103 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Curtin surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,725 | #3,828 | -2.8% |
| Count | 9,513 | 9,044 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.22 | 3.03 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Curtin bearers went from 9,513 to 9,044 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 103 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,725 to #3,828.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Curtin
FAQ
Curtin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Curtin?
Name Census estimates that about 10,371 living Americans carry the surname Curtin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,049 residents.
How common is Curtin?
Curtin ranks #3,828 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,044 people with the surname Curtin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,371), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Curtin.
Has Curtin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Curtin went from 9,513 recorded bearers to 9,044. That is a decrease of 469 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,725 to #3,828.
What does the Census say about the background of Curtin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Curtin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Curtin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (8,267 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Curtin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Curtin (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Curtin mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O'Curtin," meaning "descendant of Curtin," a personal name of uncertain meaning. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Curtin (3.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Curtin?
Want to know how common the surname Curtin is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.