Cruz
First Name Meaning, Usage, Popularity & Related Names
Cruz is a Latin name meaning “cross”. It is a popular name, predominantly used for boys, with 93.15% male usage.
Meaning & Origin of the name Cruz
Cruz is a surname-derived given name of Ibero-Romance origin, signifying the cross. It is rooted in the Latin 'crux', which historically denotes the object of the Crucifixion of Jesus. In Spanish and Portuguese cultural contexts, the name reflects religious devotion and the historical centrality of the cross in ecclesiastical life. Its transition to a given name emerged from established traditions of honorific naming related to holy objects.
Meaning Comments
- Mm_i_did_dat: My 4th grade teacher's son is named that. It's pretty good for newborn Christians...
- The_mining_e: Since some people in the comments got a little confused here, I will explain: Cruz, like a ton of other Spanish words, is a traditional given name in Catholic, Spanish-speaking areas. Like Rosario, Concepcion, Natividad, Pilar, Dolores, Consuelo, ect. Cruz is traditionally used as a girl's name, despite the fact that it has very recenttly become popular as a boy's name amongst people who are not Hispanic Catholics. It might not sound feminine to you if you have had little previous exposure to girls' names that don't end in 'ette', 'elle' or 'a', but that doesn't make it exclusively masculine. Cruz is nearly equally common for males and females in Mexico, Honduras, Venezuela, the USA, Angola, Nicaragua, Panama, and Italy, and is mostly feminine in Colombia, Paraguay, Spain, Peru, Costa Rica and the UK. Unlike Dylan or Ezra for a girl, Cruz is a traditional girls name and is not just a boy's name people call girls sometimes. Cruz is a good name for EVERYONE.
- Defeated_yz: Since I watched Marimar, I see it mostly as a name for girls. Personally, I like that it will always stand out in a crowd because it's so unusual, while not at all sounding boring, weird or outdated in the bad way, more like vintage-ish. I suppose it's because "Cruz" is a common word in Spanish.
Gender Usage of the Name Cruz
Overall Gender Classification Methodology
Cruz is predominantly used as a name for boys. Approximately 93.15% of recorded bearers are male. This classification is supported by extensive records and is considered highly reliable.
Popularity of the Name Cruz
Note: Green bars show popularity (% of births); the violet line shows historical ranking. Data is based on official government birth records. Click any chart to view details by year and region.
Overall PopularityMethodology
Cruz is listed under Popular Boy Names worldwide. Its popularity is relatively consistent across the available regional markets.
| Region | Popularity | Birth Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Common | 1 in every 3.2K births |
| United Kingdom | Popular | 1 in every 2.9K births |
| Canada | Popular | 1 in every 5.0K births |
| Australia | Popular | 1 in every 24K births |
Ranking OverviewMethodology
Cruz ranked #272 on the Popular Boys’ Names Worldwide List (2025). It rose from #365 in 2024 — an improvement of 93 places. Cruz maintains a steady presence among commonly used names.
Historically, its best recorded position was #257 in 2010. Its lowest recorded position was #1,460 in 1983. Over the last 8 years (2017–2025) the name rose 8 places (from #493 to #272).
Name StyleMethodology
Cruz is classified as Timeless Boy Names because it appears across 100% of recorded years, averages 341 births per year over its full timeline, and still averages 1,525 births per year recently.Characteristics of the Name Cruz
Pronunciation & StructureMethodology
- Phonetic Source
- CMU
- Syllables
- 1 syllable — One-Syllable Boy Names
- Length
- 4 letters — Short Boy Names
- Starts with
- C — Boy Names Starting with C
- Ends with
- z — Boy Names Ending in “z”
Name AestheticMethodology
Cruz is a single-syllable name with a hard, monosyllabic phonetic impact. It is associated with the Spanish Cruz family legacy and religious iconography, granting it a significant cultural profile. This name represents a Sleek & Modern and Strong & Powerful aesthetic.
Middle Names For Cruz
Middle names used with CruzMethodology
Cruz is most frequently used with these boy middle names: Cruz Antonio · Cruz Alejandro · Cruz Anthony · Cruz Manuel · Cruz AngelView all 44 boy middle names.
- Total 89 middle names used with Cruz
- 24 girl middle names used with Cruz
- 18 unisex middle names used with Cruz
Middle name suggestions for CruzMethodology
Based on observed first-middle-name pattern combinations, Cruz is most frequently associated with boy middle names that have 2 syllables, Strong–Weak stress pattern, 6 letters, and a starting sound of “r”.
Examples: Cruz Robert · Cruz Ronald · Cruz Roland · Cruz Rodney · Cruz Randal. View all 155 suggested middle names.
Associations of the Name Cruz
Flower AssociationsMethodology
As one of the Flower-Inspired Boy Names, Cruz appears as part of the common names of 7 flower species, including:
- Santa Cruz Desert-dandelion (Malacothrix squalida Greene) — Asteraceae
- Santa Cruz Island Desert-dandelion (Malacothrix indecora Greene) — Asteraceae
Tree AssociationsMethodology
The name Cruz, one of the Tree-Inspired Boy Names, appears as part of the common names of 4 plant species, including:
- Santa Cruz Island Oak (Quercus parvula Greene) — Fagaceae
- Santa Cruz Cypress (Cupressus goveniana Gordon) — Cupressaceae
Bird AssociationsMethodology
Listed among the Bird-Inspired Boy Names, Cruz appears in the common names of 4 bird species, including:
- Santa Cruz Ground Dove (Pampusana sanctaecrucis (Mayr, 1935)) — Columbidae
- Santa Cruz Ground Dove (Alopecoenas sanctaecrucis (Mayr, 1935)) — Columbidae
Additional Natural MatchesMethodology
The complete dataset includes 54 biological records matching the name Cruz. Browse all matching records with their scientific names and taxonomic details.
Names Similar to Cruz
Sound Like Cruz Finder
Names with the exact same overall pronunciation and sound: Kruz · Cruze · Cris · View all 43 names
Spelled Like Cruz Finder
Names with similar spelling patterns and letter sequences: Crue · Cru
Same Starting Sound Finder
Names that begin with a similar phonetic sound: Christopher · Kenneth · Kevin · View all Top 100 names
Rhymes With Cruz Finder
Names that share similar ending sounds and rhymes: James · Charles · Miles · View all Top 100 names
Same Rhythm & Syllables Finder
Names with matching syllable stress and pronunciation rhythm: James · John · Charles · View all Top 100 names
Dictionary & Etymology of “Cruz”
Dictionary Meaning of "Cruz"Methodology
A surname from Ibero-Romance
Alternative Forms
Crus.
Translations
The name Cruz has 2 translations, for example: in Spanish it is rendered as Translations.
More Info
How to Spell Cruz in ASL
- C
- r
- u
- z
Comments on the name Cruz
Community CommentsShowing 5 of 20 comments
Yx0glqbkjv_w
My name is Cruz and my peoples call me Cruzy, just a nickname though.
O_k_c_durant
No, this is traditionally a unisex name, although much more popular for boys than for girls (currently #284 for males and #4480 for females) I think that makes it mostly a male name, plus it sounds incredibly masculine.
One_att_guy
A quotation from the user Lumia on the Name Facts board (slightly abridged): "The name Cruz in Latin America is mainly used as masculine except when used together with María - as in María de la Cruz. However, in Spain is mainly a feminine name, used together with María - as in María de la Cruz, María Cruz or Maricruz - or as a stand-alone name in remembrance of the Holy Cross. The masculine usage of this name is not unknown (e.g. Cruz Martínez Esteruelas, former Minister of Education who reformed the education system back in 70's) but quite unusual, to the point that when the American soap opera Santa Barbara was on TV, the character of detective Cruz Castillo (played by A. Martinez) bore what many in the Spanish audience considered to be a strange name for a man." So, in Spain Cruz is a predominately feminine name (and a rather old fashioned one at that) but in Iberian America it is predominately masculine.
Own__r__own
Cruz seems to be mostly a masculine name in English-speaking countries. It is in the top 1000 for boys in the United States, but not for girls.
Blood_god_xx
Cruz is apparently a last name, too, as one of my best friends has the surname of Cruz. She pronounces it like the word "cruise".