boys' name ★ peaked 1962

Curtis

Meaning polite, courteous Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #985 Trend ↓ Falling 36%

From Old French corteis and curteis (Modern French courtois (“polite, courteous”).

Rank 2025
#985
among boys · ↓55 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
232
named Curtis · -7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,362
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1962
5,602 babies
All-time total
262,876
#145 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Curtis popularity over time

262,876 babies have been named Curtis since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.751.52.25318801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 695 695 70 – #168
1890s 19 928 947 95 +36% #139
1900s 82 1,683 1,765 177 +86% #114
1910s 203 8,911 9,114 911 +416% #114
1920s 311 16,138 16,449 1,645 +80% #99
1930s 253 18,008 18,261 1,826 +11% #98
1940s 273 26,009 26,282 2,628 +44% #97
1950s 327 46,324 46,651 4,665 +78% #75
1960s 311 47,244 47,555 4,756 +2% #72
1970s 237 28,808 29,045 2,905 -39% #88
1980s 256 29,910 30,166 3,017 +4% #89
1990s 45 19,205 19,250 1,925 -36% #121
2000s 5 9,650 9,655 966 -50% #265
2010s – 5,323 5,323 532 -45% #424
2020s (to 2025) – 1,718 1,718 286 -46% #703

Where Curtis is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 216 0.13 outside top 500
2027 203 0.12 outside top 500
2028 193 0.11 outside top 500
2029 184 0.11 outside top 500
2030 177 0.10 outside top 500

Where Curtis is most popular

Boys named Curtis per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.157 per 1,000. Strongest in Oklahoma, Alabama, and Mississippi.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Curtis born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Oklahoma 36 0.407 +159%
Alabama 32 0.293 +86%
Mississippi 16 0.282 +79%
Ohio 70 0.264 +68%
Virginia 47 0.248 +58%
Michigan 47 0.229 +46%
Georgia 57 0.225 +43%
Minnesota 27 0.220 +40%
North Carolina 55 0.215 +37%
South Carolina 22 0.213 +36%
Tennessee 37 0.205 +30%
Washington 33 0.202 +28%
Illinois 51 0.200 +27%
Louisiana 20 0.196 +24%
Missouri 27 0.195 +24%
Florida 86 0.182 +16%
Wisconsin 21 0.177 +13%
Indiana 27 0.168 +7%
West Virginia 5 0.153 ≈ national
Idaho 6 0.147 -7%
Pennsylvania 37 0.139 -11%
Texas 116 0.132 -16%
Kentucky 13 0.130 -18%
Maryland 15 0.126 -20%
Nevada 6 0.105 -33%
New York 43 0.099 -37%
California 90 0.098 -37%
Connecticut 6 0.089 -44%
Oregon 6 0.079 -50%
Arkansas 5 0.079 -50%
Colorado 10 0.077 -51%
Arizona 11 0.067 -57%
Utah 6 0.063 -60%
New Jersey 12 0.060 -62%
Massachusetts 8 0.058 -63%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Kansas – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Curtis

Curtis is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #985 in 2025 with 232 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 262,876 American babies have been named Curtis. Its peak came in 1962, when 5,602 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Curtis stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Curtis?

The median living Curtis is about 56 years old; half are between 39 and 67. An estimated 182 thousand people named Curtis are alive in the United States today.

median 56 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Curtis year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 232 #985
2024 – – 249 #930
2023 – – 257 #905
2022 – – 302 #821
2021 – – 317 #780
2020 – – 361 #703
2019 – – 393 #669
2018 – – 438 #615
2017 – – 431 #612
2016 – – 508 #563
2015 – – 542 #528
2014 – – 525 #530
2013 – – 585 #475
2012 – – 625 #442
2011 – – 624 #437
2010 – – 652 #424
2009 – – 767 #391
2008 – – 809 #380
2007 – – 953 #335
2006 – – 916 #339
2005 – – 960 #327
2004 – – 950 #322
2003 – – 907 #326
2002 – – 1,024 #291
2001 – – 1,124 #273
2000 5 #15,581 1,240 #265
1995 6 #12,108 1,709 #183
1990 17 #5,342 2,800 #121
1985 27 #3,264 2,943 #98
1980 26 #3,237 3,332 #89
1975 15 #4,190 2,327 #113
1970 29 #2,527 3,615 #88
1965 39 #1,832 4,687 #75
1960 42 #1,748 5,363 #79
1955 37 #1,700 4,981 #79
1950 21 #2,135 3,209 #97
1945 29 #1,522 2,393 #97
1940 31 #1,356 2,103 #97
1935 26 #1,457 1,753 #108
1930 37 #1,236 1,721 #106
1925 21 #1,905 1,520 #118
1920 31 #1,447 1,443 #120
1915 23 #1,532 1,058 #128
1910 11 #1,443 277 #114
1905 6 #1,752 182 #118
1900 10 #1,247 144 #147
1895 – – 89 #179
1890 – – 86 #164
1885 – – 70 #187
1880 – – 68 #186

Famous people named Curtis

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Curtis Mayfield Curtis Mayfield American singer-songwriter (1942–1999) Contemporary
  2. 2 Curtis LeMay Curtis LeMay American air force general (1906–1990) Contemporary
  3. 3 Curtis Armstrong Curtis Armstrong American actor (born 1953) Contemporary
  4. 4 Curtis Hanson Curtis Hanson American filmmaker (1945–2016) Contemporary
  5. 5 Curtis Jones Topics referred to by the same term b. 2001 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Curtis Davies Curtis Davies Footballer (born 1985) Contemporary
  7. 7 Curtis Good Curtis Good Australian soccer player b. 1993 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Curtis Fuller Curtis Fuller American jazz trombonist (1932–2021) b. 1934 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Curtis T. McMullen Curtis T. McMullen American mathematician (born 1958) Contemporary
  10. 10 Curtis Brown Curtis Brown American astronaut (born 1956) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Curtis, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Curtis?

The median living Curtis is about 56 years old. Half of all living Curtiss are between 39 and 67 years old.

How many people named Curtis are alive today?

An estimated 182 thousand people named Curtis are alive in the United States, based on 262,876 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Curtis mean?

From Old French corteis and curteis (Modern French courtois (“polite, courteous”).

How popular is the name Curtis in 2025?

Curtis ranked #985 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 232 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Curtis?

262,876 babies have been named Curtis in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Curtis most popular?

Curtis peaked in 1962, when 5,602 newborns received the name.

Is Curtis a boy or girl name?

Curtis is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Curtis rising or falling?

Curtis is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Curtis become more popular?

Curtis is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 177 boys named Curtis in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Curtis?

Well-known people named Curtis include Curtis Mayfield (musician), Curtis LeMay (politician), Curtis Armstrong (actor).

Names like Curtis

Names that sound and feel close to Curtis: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Curtis with similar names → More names starting with C →