Courteous or polite
Derived from the Old French and Spanish word 'cortΓ©s', meaning 'courteous' or 'polite'. It originally denoted a person with courtly manners or someone who worked at a royal court. While primarily known as a surname, it has been used as a given name in the United States since the early 20th century.
Less common today
Cortez isn't in the latest US Top 1000. It last peaked at #533 in 1990.
US births per 5-year period, 1990βpresent (SSA data).
NFL Hall of Fame defensive tackle
Former NFL cornerback