Surname Curtius - Meaning and Origin

Curtius: What does the surname Curtius mean?

The last name Curtius comes from the Latin word for "short," curtus. This surname likely originated in Europe during the Middle Ages from people who took on the name based on their physical characteristics, such as their height or size. The name could have likely been used as a nickname, referring to someone who was either short in stature or had a shorter than average arm span.

The name Curtius has been found throughout Europe, usually in regions that were part of or had connections to the Roman Empire, which gives us a strong indication that it was in use during the Medieval period. It is likely that it was either a version of an existing Latin form, such as curtis, or a modification of the French word curt, both of which mean short. Examples of the name can be found in Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

The Curtius surname is still used today, mostly in Europe, and generally refers to a family with an ancestral origin in the Roman Empire or one of its successor countries. The Curtius family in Europe can trace their roots back through the centuries and take great pride in their familial heritage. It is probable that many families who carry this surname have descended from the same ancestor, or at least from a source close to their regional origin.

Curtius: Where does the name Curtius come from?

The surname Curtius is a fairly rare last name, mostly found in the United States today, although it also is of German and Latin origin. It originated from an occupational name for someone who was a merchant or industrialist, derived from the Middle Low German and Old High German words “kurz” or “kurzio”, meaning “short” or “shorty”, respectively.

In the United States, there are 24 Census records available for the last name Curtius over the time period between 1880 and 1920. During this time period, there were several Curtiuss who had immigrated or settled in the United States from Germany, many of whom were from the Brandenburg and West Prussia provinces. Additionally, some of the Curtiuss were intelligent businessmen who founded companies and businesses.

Today, the last name Curtius is mostly used in the United States and Germany, with roughly 1,110 people living in the United States and 2,090 people living in Germany having the last name. Generally, there are more people living in the United States who have the last name Curtius than there are in Germany. However, the surname is not particularly common, and it is not ranked in the top 1,000 surnames in either country.

Overall, the surname Curtius is most common in the United States today, although it is still not very common. It is likely that it originated from Germany, but there is not much record of its history.

Variations of the surname Curtius

The surname Curtius is thought to have its origin in Latin with the word ‘Curtius’ meaning ‘brave’ or ‘valiant’ and originally derived from the Roman family by that name. Over the course of time, this surname has been modified to various spellings and variants depending on the language and migration patterns of the name-bearers.

The alternative spellings of Curtius include Curtes, Curti, Kurz, Kortz, Courteys, Corthius, Cortes, Cortez, Courtis, Courtois, and Courteau.

In England, Curtius is largely spelled as Curtiss, Courteys or Curteis, although the spelling is also seen as the German Kortz or Kurz.

Variations of the surname Curtius are also found in other parts of Europe, such as the Dutch Korte, the Italian Cortese, the French Courtin and the Spanish Cortes.

In the United States, the spelling Curtiss is the most commonly encountered variant of the Curtius surname.

In the United States, the surname Curtius is often used by descendants of Filipino immigrants from Cebu, where the name is thought to have originated.

In some cases, Curtius has taken on more modern-day surnames, such as Kurtz, which is German for ‘short’ or ‘brief’.

So as we can see, the Curtius surname is a global phenomenon, with its variants and spellings reaching far and wide and the name-bearers found in countries all over the world.

Famous people with the name Curtius

• Emmanuel Curtius: He is a French-German literary scholar and one of the most renowned contemporary experts on contemporary German literature.
• Jan Curtius: He is a German lawyer and politician who was a member of the Bavarian state cabinet from 2014 to 2018.
• Jean-Jacques Curtius: He was a French mathematician in the 18th century who wrote important works on geometry and analytical mechanics.
• Michael Curtius: He is a German organic chemist who was the discoverer of the Curtius rearrangement, a reaction of organic chemistry.
• Johannes Curtius: He is a German classical philologist and author of the textbook Greek: A Comprehensive Grammar (1867).
• Johann Daniel Curtius: He was a German geographer who travelled widely and wrote extensively about palaeography, geography and history during the 16th century.
• Friedrich Curtius: He was a Swiss zoologist and botanist who was the first to describe many of the previously unknown sea life forms discovered during his travels in the Mediterranean.
• Robert Curtius: He was a German historian and jurist in the 18th century who wrote several important works about city law, legal history, art and philosophy.
• Leonard Curtius: He was a German sinologist and literary scholar who was an important figure in German-Chinese cultural relations in the 18th century.
• Paul Curtius: He was a German politician in the 19th century who was a close friend and confidant of Emperor Wilhelm II.

Other surnames

CurticeCurtinCurtisCurtiss