Cruz
A Spanish and Portuguese surname meaning “cross,” often referring to the Christian cross or to a place marked by a cross.
The #57 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 924 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Cruz comes from Spanish and Portuguese cruz, meaning “cross,” from Latin crux, crucis, “cross” or “gallows.” As a surname it was often formed from a devotional reference to the Christian cross, and sometimes from a house, road, or place named for a cross. It is closely related to surnames like De la Cruz and Santa Cruz, which preserve older prepositional forms.
History
The name is especially common in Spain, Portugal, and the Spanish-speaking world, and it spread widely through Iberian and colonial naming traditions. Historical sources often connect it with religious place-names and with the emblem of the cross itself. In modern usage it is one of the most common Hispanic surnames in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Spanish and Portuguese, cruz is also the ordinary word for the Christian cross, so the surname can read almost like a direct religious emblem.
From the historical record
“DELACRUZ I (Span.) Of the Cross [Lat. DE LA' CRUZ J crux, crucis, a cross] 'V DELARUE \ (Fr.) Of the Street [see Rew DE LA RUE I (Fr.-Lat.) in Diet.]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)