Courtois History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

The Norman Conquest of England of 1066 added many new elements to the already vibrant culture. Among these were thousands of new names. The Courtois name is derived 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 Courtois family

The surname Courtois 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 Courtois family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Courtois 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 Courtois History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Courtois Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Curtis, Curtiss, Curtyss, Curtys, Curtess, Curtes, Cortes, Cortis and many more.

Early Notables of the Courtois 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 Courtois Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Courtois Ranking

In the United States, the name Courtois is the 17,399^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7 However, in France, the name Courtois is ranked the 268^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,267 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Courtois family to Ireland

Some of the Courtois 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.

Courtois migration to Canada +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Courtois or a variant listed above were:

Courtois Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Charles Courtois, who married Marguerite Berger in Quebec City in 1670
Charles Courtois, son of Antoine and Esther, who married Marguerite Berger, daughter of Jean and Madeleine, in Quebec on 9th October 1670 9
Bertrand Courtois, son of Pierre and Marguerite, who married Marie Hallay, daughter of Pierre and Marie, in Quebec on 24th August 1671 9

Courtois Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Denis Courtois, who married Barbe Arnault in Lévis, Quebec in 1700
Denis Courtois, son of Charles and Marguerite, who married Barbe Arnault, daughter of Mathurin and Barbe, in Lévis, Quebec on 21st September 1700 9
Gabriel Courtois, son of Charles and Marguerite, who married Élisabeth Moreau, daughter of Louis and Élisabeth, in Batiscan, Quebec on 5th April 1701 9
Simon Courtois, son of Bertrand and Marie, who married Marie-Jeanne Villeneuve, daughter of Mathurin and Marguerite, in Charlesbourg, Quebec on 1st September 1704 9
Simon Courtois, who married Marie-Jeanne Villeneuve in Charlesbourg, Quebec in 1704
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Courtois (post 1700) +

Ernest Courtois (b. 1862), French painter
Félix Courtois, French mathematics professor in the 19th century
Alphonse-Charles Courtois, French economist in the 19th century
Jean-Aimé Courtois (1811-1864), French historian
Alexandre-Nicolas Courtois (1758-1794), French writer
Jean-Louis Courtois (1712-1777), French Jesuit
Gustave-Claude-Étienne Courtois (1852-1923), French painter
Frédéric Courtois (1860-1928), French missionary
Hon. E Jacqus Courtois, partner in Stikeman, Elliott, and is chairman and director of UNAHL Ltd
Bernard Courtois (1777-1838), French chemist

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/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.