Cruz
Cruz was the 331st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,025 babies. Its best year was 2013, when it ranked 279th with 1,250 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 7 places. More babies were named Cruz in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning cross · Spanish, Portuguese, Latin
Say it KROOZ /kruz/
- Rank in 2025
- #331 boys, down 28 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,025boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20131,250 babies
- Total since 1880
- 35,024babies recorded
What does the name Cruz mean?
Cruz is the Spanish and Portuguese word for "cross", from Latin crux. It is common as a surname and is also given as a first name in honor of the Holy Cross, for example in María de la Cruz, much as Dolores and Mercedes come from titles of Mary. In the US it is used mostly for boys.
cruz (Spanish, “cross”)crux (Latin, “cross”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Santa Cruz, Vera Cruz.
See also: Spanish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Cruz', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'cruz', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Cruz popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,215 | #331 | 15 | 1,025 |
| 2020 | #5,196 | #303 | 24 | 1,098 |
| 2010 | #6,021 | #321 | 22 | 991 |
| 2000 | #5,762 | #643 | 19 | 282 |
| 1990 | #4,551 | #719 | 21 | 200 |
| 1980 | #2,882 | #945 | 31 | 90 |
| 1970 | #2,406 | #982 | 31 | 68 |
| 1960 | #1,641 | #835 | 47 | 82 |
| 1950 | #1,334 | #737 | 47 | 87 |
| 1940 | #981 | #731 | 53 | 70 |
| 1930 | #938 | #811 | 61 | 64 |
| 1920 | #982 | #794 | 56 | 71 |
| 1910 | #1,079 | #1,134 | 17 | 9 |
| 1900 | #1,771 | — | 6 | — |
| 1890 | #1,022 | — | 8 | — |
| 1880 | — | #837 | — | 6 |
How popular is Cruz, counting every spelling?
Cruz is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #281 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #331 for Cruz on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,285 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cruz | 1,025 | #331 | 5,338 |
| Kruz | 167 | #1,216 | 871 |
| Cruze | 37 | #3,194 | 214 |
| Kruze | 30 | #3,714 | 185 |
| Cruise | 9 | #8,393 | 73 |
| Crews | 11 | #7,291 | 47 |
| Kruse | — | — | 28 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Cruz?
1,025 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Cruz (0.28 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Cruz born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 8 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Cruz.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Cruz?
About 27,900 people born in the US named Cruz are alive today, with a median age of 13; half are between 7 and 22. That makes Cruz mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Cruz by state
How common Cruz was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Hawaii (4.7×), New Mexico (4.0×), Nevada (2.8×), Arizona (2.5×), California (2.4×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New York, Maine, Massachusetts.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Cruz: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Cruz, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Cruz · Sibling names for Cruz
Questions about the name Cruz
What does Cruz mean?
Cruz means “cross” (Spanish, Portuguese, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Cruz?
Cruz was the 331st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,025 babies. Its best year was 2013, when it ranked 279th with 1,250 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 7 places. More babies were named Cruz in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Cruz a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Cruz in the US.
Where is Cruz most popular?
In 2021–2025, Cruz was most common in Hawaii (2.90 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Mexico and Nevada.