Find out how popular the last name Curtiss is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Curtiss.

Curtiss, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Curtiss surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Curtiss in America

Curtiss is the 6217th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Curtiss surname appeared 5,500 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Curtiss.

We can also compare 2010 data for Curtiss to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Curtiss

The surname CURTISS originated in England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "curteis" which means courteous or well-mannered. The name is thought to have initially referred to a person with refined or polite manners.

Early variations of the spelling included Curteys, Curtays, and Curteis. The name is believed to have first appeared in records in Norfolk, England around 1182. One of the earliest recorded instances was Richard le Curteys who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1195.

The Hundred Rolls of 1273 contained several entries for people with this surname concentrated in areas like Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Bedfordshire. This suggests the name had spread throughout central and southern England by the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in the famous Domesday Book of 1381 which listed poll tax payers. Examples from this record include William Curteys from Yorkshire and John Curtays from Suffolk. By this time, the spelling had become more standardized to the modern CURTISS form.

Notable people throughout history with this last name include:

• Sir William Curtiss (1475-1559), an English member of parliament during the reign of Henry VIII.
• John Curtiss (1572-1640), an English Puritan settler who arrived in Massachusetts in 1638.
• Sarah Curtiss (1713-1794), one of the earliest female poets and writers in colonial America.
• William Curtiss (1807-1881), an American politician who served as Lieutenant Governor of New York.
• Glenn Curtiss (1878-1930), a pioneering American aviator and founder of the Curtiss Aeroplane Company.

Many English place names were derived from this surname as well, such as Curtismill Green in Oxfordshire and Curtisknowle in Derbyshire. These likely originated as the lands or properties owned by families with the CURTISS name during the medieval period.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Curtiss

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Curtiss.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Curtiss was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Curtiss has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Curtiss was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Curtiss, please contact us.

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