boy's name
Curtis
KUR-tiss
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 278,253
the United States
#984
2025 births
Curtis is a boy's name from a Norman French nickname meaning courteous, and it is one of very few names that describes manners rather than birth, appearance or trade. It charts in five markets.
- Curtis is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 1962, when 5,602 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 14,290 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Curtis over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 695 |
| 1890s | 947 |
| 1900s | 1,765 |
| 1910s | 9,114 |
| 1920s | 16,449 |
| 1930s | 18,261 |
| 1940s | 26,282 |
| 1950s | 46,651 |
| 1960s | 47,555 |
| 1970s | 29,045 |
| 1980s | 30,166 |
| 1990s | 19,250 |
| 2000s | 9,655 |
| 2010s | 5,323 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,718 |
What Curtis means
Curtis means courteous, polite or well-bred. The Old French word describes courtly manners specifically — behavior fit for a court rather than politeness in general.
Where Curtis comes from
Curtis is the Old French curteis, courteous, from cort, a court — so the word originally meant having the manners of a court, and only later softened into ordinary politeness. It was a byname given to someone notably well-mannered, which makes it unusual: most descriptive surnames record a trade, a place, a father or a physical feature, and very few record character. A separate and unrelated Curtis exists from the Old French curt hose, short stockings — the byname of Robert Curthose, eldest son of William the Conqueror, who was mocked for his stature.
Curtis in use
Curtis peaked in the United States in 1962, when 5,602 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 442nd in Scotland on 7 births, 919th in Ireland, 984th in the United States on 232, 1042nd in France on 35 and 1043rd in England and Wales on 29, across 278,253 lifetime births in six of the seven markets we track. France and England and Wales place it one rank apart, which is a coincidence rather than a pattern but a neat one.
How popular is Curtis?
In 2025, Curtis was given to 232 babies in the United States, ranking #984 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Curtis is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Curtis
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Curtis also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Curtis over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Curtis
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Curtis in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Curtis
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Curtis — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Curtis
What does the name Curtis mean?
Courteous — from the Old French curteis, meaning having the manners of a court.
Is Curtis related to Curthose?
A separate byname. Robert Curthose, the Conqueror's eldest son, was named for short stockings, not for manners.
Is Curtis a surname?
It began as a byname for a well-mannered person and became a hereditary surname, then a given name.
How popular is Curtis?
984th in the United States and 442nd in Scotland.
Is Curtis a girl's or a boy's name?
Curtis is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Curtis?
Curtis has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Curtis?
Curtis is usually shortened to Curt.
Is Curtis a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Curtis currently ranks #442 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.