Meaning of the surname Cortés
Cortés is a Spanish surname of the descriptive type meaning "courteous". It is one of the 200 most common surnames in Mexico. The surname of the conquistador Hernán Cortés.
A nickname that stuck: Moreno (dark-haired), Delgado (thin), Rubio (fair), Bravo (fierce), Cortés (courteous).
In Mexico a person carries two surnames, the father's and then the mother's, so Cortés appears as either half of a pair: Cortés García, López Cortés. Read how the two-surname system works.