2000
#280
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98,958
First available Census row
Per 100,000 36.68
Common Last name
Curtis
An English occupational surname for a courteous person or for a maker or seller of curtains or tapestries.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111,471 Americans carry the last name Curtis. That puts it at #322 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 32.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,075 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Curtis 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 Curtis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
111K
1 in 3,075
Census rank
#322
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
32.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97,208 bearers of the surname Curtis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 32.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 322nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Curtis, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Curtis
The surname Curtis originated in England in the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word 'curt', meaning 'short' or 'brief'. It was likely used as a descriptive nickname for someone of short stature or brief speech.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Curte'. This suggests the name was already established in England by the late 11th century. Variations in the early spelling include Curt, Curtes, and Curteis.
By the 13th century, the name had evolved to its modern form, Curtis. It is found in various records from this period, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a John Curtis in Oxfordshire.
One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was William Curtis, a 15th-century English botanist and entomologist (c. 1446-1499). He is considered one of the founding fathers of the scientific study of insects.
Another notable figure was Sir Roger Curtis (1573-1638), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and Chief Justice of the Grand Sessions in Wales.
In the 17th century, the name was associated with several prominent individuals, including Edward Curtis (1630-1677), an English lawyer and judge, and Samuel Curtis (1619-1687), an English minister and religious writer.
During the 18th century, the Curtis surname was linked to several places in England, including Curtis Farm in Berkshire and Curtis Green in Worcestershire. This suggests the name may have derived from these locations in some instances.
One of the most famous bearers of the Curtis name was the American photographer Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868-1952), renowned for his extensive documentation of Native American cultures and traditions.
Throughout its history, the Curtis surname has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, politicians, artists, and religious figures. Despite its origins as a descriptive nickname, it has become a well-established surname with a long and diverse history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Curtis
Among Census respondents with the surname Curtis, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Curtis 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 Curtis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.0% · 72,858
- Black or African American15.4% · 14,943
- Two or more races4.3% · 4,166
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 3,652
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 943
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 646
Timeline
Historical Census data for Curtis
Curtis 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
#309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101,801
+2,843 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 34.51
Rank movement Down 29 places
2020
#322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97,208
-4,593 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 32.52
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #280 | 98,958 | 36.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #309 | 101,801 | 34.51 | +2,843 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 29 places |
| 2020 | #322 | 97,208 | 32.52 | -4,593 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 13 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 Curtis 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 | #309 | #322 | -4.2% |
| Count | 101,801 | 97,208 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 34.51 | 32.52 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Curtis bearers went from 101,801 to 97,208 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #309 to #322.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Curtis
FAQ
Curtis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Curtis?
Name Census estimates that about 111,471 living Americans carry the surname Curtis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,075 residents.
How common is Curtis?
Curtis ranks #322 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 32.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 33 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 97,208 people with the surname Curtis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111,471), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 32.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 32.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 33 of them to have the surname Curtis.
Has Curtis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Curtis went from 101,801 recorded bearers to 97,208. That is a decrease of 4,593 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #309 to #322.
What does the Census say about the background of Curtis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Curtis, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Curtis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.0% (72,858 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Curtis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.0%), Black (15.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Curtis (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 Curtis mean?
An English occupational surname for a courteous person or for a maker or seller of curtains or tapestries. 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 Curtis (32.52 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 have the surname Curtis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.