Curzon

This ancient and aristocratic surname, recorded as Curzon and the variant Corzon, has two possible interpretations, although the origin in both cases is Norman-French. Introduced into England after the Conquest of 1066, the first of the name were granted extensive estates and lands in East Anglia. Their name was from Old French pre 7th centry nickname "Curt", a short form of the Roman-Latin "Curtius", and actually translating as curtailed, a baptismal name of endearment for a small person. The second possible origin is locational from a place called "Notre-dame-de-Courson" in the department of Calvados, in the former dukedom of Normandy. This place name is also derived from "Curtuis", so in a sense whether locational or as a baptismal name, the meaning is the same, or at least has the same translation. Early examples of the surname recordings taken from authentic registers and charters of the period include William de Cursun of the county of Norfolk in the year 1198, and Katherine la Curzoun in the court register for the county of Essex in 1316. Amongst the most famous of the nameholders was George Nathaniel Curzon, (1859 - 1925), the 1st Marquis of Kedleston, a statesman and Viceroy of India from 1898 to 1905. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert de Curcon, which was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book for Norfolk, during the reign of King William 1, known as "The Conqueror", 1066 - 1087.