De la Cruz
A Spanish surname meaning “of the Cross,” originally referring to Christian devotion or a place named for the Cross.
The #458 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 4,282 Americans shares it.
Etymology
De la Cruz is a Spanish surname built from de la, meaning “of the,” and cruz, “cross.” The ultimate source is Latin crux, crucis, “cross.” In literal terms, it means “of the Cross” or “from the Cross,” and it likely began as a devotional or locational name tied to a Christian symbol or place-name.
History
This is a well-known Hispanic surname and is common in Spanish-speaking communities. English-language surname dictionaries in the early 1900s usually treated it as a straightforward Spanish form meaning “of the Cross,” without much elaboration. In modern usage it often appears both with and without a space, and sometimes with the article fused into the surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
It belongs to a large family of surnames built from Christian devotional phrases, especially those referring to the Cross.
From the historical record
“DELACROIX/ crux, crucis, a cross] 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.] I DELMAR 1 (Span.) Of the Sea (-Coast) or DEL MAR 1 Lake [Lat. mare, the sea]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)