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Cortes History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Cortes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Spain

Cortes is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. Cortes is a name that comes from refined or "denoting a man of good education." 1. The name is derived from the Old French word curteis, which means refined or accomplished. 2

"William de Curtis was of Normandy, 1180; Robert Curteis gave lands to Gloucester Abbey, temp. Rufus. William le Curteis, temp. Henry II., was a benefactor to West Dereham Abbey, Norfolk." 3

Early Origins of the Cortes family

The surname Cortes was first found in Warwickshire where the name first appeared as a forename as in Curteis de Capella who was listed in the Pipe Rolls for 1130. By 1200, the Curia Regis Rolls listed Curteis de Catebr in Cambridgeshire and in Bedfordshire, Richard Curteis was found in the Pipe Rolls for 1166. The name was scattered throughout Britain since early times as Robert le Curteis was found in the Pipe Rolls for Devon in 1168 and Ralph le Curtoys was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1230. Up in Yorkshire, John le Korteys was listed at Kirkstall in 1238 and in Sussex, John Corties was found in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 lists: William le Curteis in Cambridgeshire; Walter Curteys in Oxfordshire; Osbert le Curteys in Essex; Henry Corteys in Devon; and Richard le Corteys in Oxfordshire. 4 Over one hundred years later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists Adam Curtase and Johannes Cartas. 4

We found this interesting entry for one the family in the town of Lostwithiel, Cornwall: "The church contains a memorial for Tristram Curtys, Esq. who died in the year 1423. This family, which is now extinct, occasionally represented this borough from the reign of Edward I. to that of Henry V. Tristram Curtys was member for Lostwithiel in the 9th of Henry V. Leland speaks of his descendant as having 100 marks of land, between Blowgham and Penknek, by Lostwithiel. " 5

The name is "best represented in Buckinghamshire, and afterwards in Nottinghamshire. This is an ancient English name, occurring, as it does now, in Buckinghamshire, Essex, and Lincolnshire in the reign of Edward I.; it was also at that time numerous in Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. Characteristic of the south, and east of England south of the Humber." 6

Early History of the Cortes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cortes research. Another 161 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1130, 1168, 1531, 1532, 1534, 1550, 1552, 1553, 1556, 1559, 1566, 1582, 1662, 1663, 1740, 1746, 1762, 1769, 1771, 1775, 1778, 1799, 1816, 1818, 1819 and 1832 are included under the topic Early Cortes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cortes Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Cortes family name include Curtis, Curtiss, Curtyss, Curtys, Curtess, Curtes, Cortes, Cortis and many more.

Early Notables of the Cortes family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Robert Cottis, Scottish Prior of Restenneth (1531-1534.) Richard Curteys (1532?-1582), bishop of Chichester, was a native of Lincolnshire. He received his academical education at St. John's College, Cambridge, where he was elected to a scholarship on the Lady Margaret's foundation on 6 Nov. 1550. He proceeded B.A. in 1552-1553, was elected a fellow of his college on the Lady Margaret's foundation on 25 March 1553, and commenced M.A. in 1556. During the reign of Queen Mary he remained unmolested at the university. He was appointed senior fellow of his college on 22 July 1559...
Another 356 words (25 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cortes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cortes Ranking

In the United States, the name Cortes is the 1,627^th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 7 However, in France, the name Cortes is ranked the 1,406^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,077 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Cortes family to Ireland

Some of the Cortes family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 93 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cortes migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Cortes family to immigrate North America:

Cortes Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Alonso Cortés, who immigrated to America in 1513
Pedro Cortés, who settled in New Spain in 1535
Alonso Cortés, traveled to Hispaniola in 1537
Hernán Cortés, conquistador of Mexico. Born in Medellin, Extremadura in 1485 he studied law at the University of Salamanca. In 1504 he first voyaged to the New World, journeying to Hispaniola, then later to Cuba. In 1519 Cortés, who landed in Mexico and within the space of two years had consolidated his control over the new territory. King Charles V named Cortés governor of Mexico, and in 1529 the King created the title of Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca in recognition of Cortés' accomplishments. Eventually Cortés returned to Spain and participated in other military ventures of the Spanish crown, notably an expedition against Algerian pirates in 1541. After an eventful military career, he died near Seville in 1547
Juan Cortés, went to Peru in 1594

Cortes Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Cortes, who landed in Virginia in 1637 9

Cortes Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joanes Cortes, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1727 aboard the ship "Adventurer John Davies" 9

Cortes Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alonso Cortes, who landed in America in 1812 9
Juan Cortes, who arrived in America in 1813 9
P Cortes, aged 50, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1825 9
Pero Cortes, who arrived in America in 1827 9
Marichino Cortes, aged 22, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cortes (post 1700) +

Carlos Cortés, American university professor
Camilo Blanes Cortés (1946-2019), known professionally as Camilo Sesto, was a Spanish singer
Erlinda Cortes (1924-2015), born Mary Boone, Filipina actress, known for Isinanlang pag-ibig (1951), Hagibis (1947) and He Promised to Return (1950)
Hernán Cortés (1485-1547), Spanish conquistador who led to the fall of the Aztec Empire
Fernando Holgado Cortés Ph.D., Spanish Professor of Mathematics at the University of Madrid
Fernando Cortés, Mexican surgeon and educator
Diego Cortes Asencio (b. 1931), American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Colombia (1977-1980) and United States Ambassador to Brazil (1983-1886)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)