What is "curthoys"

n. (surname: English)

Curthoys is an English surname. The name is derived from the Old French elements curt and hose. The surname originated as a nickname meaning "short boots". The name is found recorded as Curtehose in 1210-11, and Curthose in 1287-8. Modern variants of the surname include Curthose and Curthoise. Analysis of the 1881 Census in the United Kingdom shows that the surname was then mostly distributed in what is the Bristol postalcode area.