Cruz is mostly a

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

but is also used as a first name. It is of Iberian origin, first found in Castile, Spain, and later spread throughout the territories of the former Spanish and

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire was a colonial empire that existed between 1415 and 1999. In conjunction with the Spanish Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It achieved a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa ...

s. In Spanish and Portuguese, the word means "cross", either the

Christian cross The Christian cross, seen as representing the crucifixion of Jesus, is a religious symbol, symbol of Christianity. It is related to the crucifix, a cross that includes a ''corpus'' (a representation of Jesus' body, usually three-dimensional) a ...

or the figure of transecting lines or ways. For example, in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, the adopted Tagalog word is rendered to "krus" in plain usage, but the Spanish spelling survives as a surname. The word "Cruz" (Spanish for "Cross"), as well as "Vera Cruz" ("True Cross") and "Santa Cruz" ("Holy Cross") are used as surnames and toponyms. Its origin as a surname particularly flourished after the

Alhambra Decree The Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Decreto de la Alhambra'', ''Edicto de Granada'') was an edict issued on 31 March 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdi ...

of 1492 and the increasing activities of the

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition () was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and lasted until 1834. It began toward the end of ...

, when New Christian families with Crypto-Jewish, Moorish, and/or mixed religious heritage converted to the state-enforced religion of

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and subsequently fashioned and adopted surnames with unambiguous religious affiliation. As a first name, Cruz has risen in popularity in the US since the early 2000s, ranking 303 in 2024 according to social security; it has overall consistently ranked in the top 1,000 boy names since 1905.

People with the surname

General

* Alberto Cruz (disambiguation), multiple people * Alejandro Cruz (disambiguation), multiple people *

Alex Cruz (disambiguation) Alex Cruz may refer to: * Alex Cruz (astronomer), American astronomer * Álex Cruz (businessman) (born 1966), Spanish businessman, ex Chief Executive of Vueling Airlines, and Chief Executive of British Airways * Alex Cruz (footballer, born 1985), ...

, multiple people * Arturo Cruz (1923–2013), Nicaraguan rebel leader * Carlos Cruz (disambiguation), multiple people * Isagani Cruz (c. 1924 – 2013), Filipino judge * Juan-Carlos Cruz (born 1962), Dominican American celebrity chef * Maria Silva Cruz (1915–1936), Spanish anarchist * Maximiano Tuazon Cruz (1923–2013), Filipino Roman Catholic bishop * Nicky Cruz (born 1938), Puerto Rican-American ex-gang leader and religious minister * Nikolas Cruz (born 1998), American criminal, perpetrator of the

Parkland high school shooting On February 14, 2018, a mass shooting occurred when 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, part of the Miami metropolitan area, Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people and injuring 18 ot ...

Oswaldo Cruz Oswaldo Gonçalves Cruz (; August 5, 1872 – February 11, 1917), was a Brazilian physician, pioneer bacteriologist, epidemiology, epidemiologist and public health officer and the founder of the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Oswaldo Cruz Institute. ...

(1872–1917), Brazilian physician, bacteriologist, and epidemiologist *

Richard Cruz (disambiguation) Ricardo Cruz may refer to: * Ricardo Cruz (athlete) (born 1946), Salvadoran Olympic athlete * Ricardo Cruz (Brazilian footballer) (born 1962), Brazilian football manager and former goalkeeper * Ricardo Cruz (lawyer) (1943–1993), American lawye ...

, multiple people *

Terri Cruz Teresita del Niño Jesús "Terri" Cruz (1927–2017) was a community advocate and a founder of Chicanos Por La Causa. Early life Teresa Cruz was born in Tucson, Arizona. Her parents were from Hermosillo and Durango. She was orphaned as a young ...

(1927-2017), American community organizer

Arts

General

Amina Cruz Amina Cruz is a photographer known for capturing queer punk scenes within the Latino community and breaking cultural barriers with her work. Cruz captures the intimate moments shared between queer folk and is trying to expand the Latino identity ...

, American photographer * Claudia Cruz (born 1986), Dominican Miss World contestant 2004 * Gaspar da Cruz (ca. 1520–1570), Portuguese Dominican friar, author of the first European book on China * Gemma Cruz, Filipino crowned Miss International * Lizania Cruz, Dominican artist * Nilo Cruz (born 1962), Cuban-American playwright and Pulitzer prize winner

Actors and Actresses

;General * Ernesto Gómez Cruz (1933–2024), Mexican actor * Ileana D'Cruz, Indian actress from Goa * Mónica Cruz (born 1977), Spanish dancer and actress; sister of Penélope Cruz * Penélope Cruz (born 1974), Spanish actress ;American * Raphael Cruz, American acrobat,

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...

performer and actor * Wilson Cruz (born 1973), Puerto Rican-American actor * Alexis Cruz (born 1974), Puerto Rican-American actor * Brandon Cruz (born 1962), American actor and musician * Raymond Cruz (born 1964), American actor ;Filipino * Donna Cruz (born 1977), Filipina actress and singer * Ella Cruz (born 1996), Filipino Actress * Geneva Cruz (born 1976), Filipino actress and singer *Jesse Cruz, birth name of Ricky Belmonte (1947–2001), Filipino actor * John Lloyd Cruz (born 1983), Filipino actor * Rayver Cruz (born 1989), Filipino actor/dancer * Rodjun Cruz (born 1987), Filipino actor/dancer * Sheryl Cruz (born 1974), Filipino actress * Sunshine Cruz (born 1977), Filipino actress * Tirso Cruz III (born 1953, Filipino actor

Musical Artists

;General * Celia Cruz (1924–2003), Cuban salsa singer * Simon Cruz, Swedish singer of glam metal band Crashdïet *

Taio Cruz Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere (born 23 April 1980), known professionally as Jacob Taio Cruz ( ), is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Cruz was discovered in the mid-2000s by American record producer Tricky Stewart, joinin ...

, British singer (born Adetayo Ayowale O. A. Onile-Ere) ;American * Adam Cruz, American jazz drummer * Tony Sunshine (Antonio Cruz, born 1977), Puerto Rican R&B singer * Bobby Cruz (born 1937), Puerto Rican salsa singer and religious minister * Jason Cruz (born 1974), American musician, artist, poet

Politicians

* Angel Cruz, a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 180th District * Angelina Cruz (born 1979), Wisconsin politician * Benjamin Cruz (born 1951), Guamanian politician * Catalina Cruz (born 1980s), New York politician * Gina Cruz Blackledge (born 1969), Mexican politician, Senator from Baja California since 2018 * Inmaculada Cruz (1960–2013), Spanish politician * Nelsy Cruz (1982–2025), Dominican politician *

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...

(Rafael Edward Cruz; born 1970), Canadian-American politician and United States Senator from Texas since 2013

Sports

* Adolfo Schwelm Cruz (1923–2012), Argentine Formula One race car driver * Beatriz Cruz (born 1980), Puerto Rican track and field athlete * Carl Bryan Cruz (born 1991), Filipino basketball player * Dominick Cruz (born 1985), American professional mixed martial artist * Edvandro Cruz (born 1978), Brazilian mountain biker * Iohana Cruz (born 1980), Cuban diver * Jericho Cruz (born 1990), Filipino basketball player * Jervy Cruz (born 1986), Filipino basketball player * Joaquim Cruz (born 1963), Brazilian athlete and Olympic gold medal winner * Juana Cruz (1917–1981), Spanish woman bullfighter * Julio Ricardo Cruz (born 1974), former Argentine soccer player * Leo Cruz (born 1957), Dominican boxing champion * Nelson Cruz (athlete) (born 1977), long-distance runner from Cape Verde * Raúl Ceferino Cruz (1934–1985), Argentine chess master * Rolando Cruz (born 1939), Puerto Rican pole vaulter * Roque Santa Cruz (born 1981), Paraguayan footballer * Victor Cruz (born 1986), American football player * Wendy Cruz (born 1976), Dominican cyclist

Baseball

* Fernando Cruz (baseball) (born 1990), Puerto Rican baseball player * Frank Cruz (born c. 1959), American college baseball coach * Jesús Cruz (born 1995), Mexican baseball player * José Cruz also known as Cheo Cruz (born 1947), Puerto Rican baseball player * José Cruz Jr. (born 1974), Puerto Rican baseball player * Juan Cruz (born 1978), Dominican baseball player * Luis Cruz (born 1984), American baseball player * Nelson Cruz (born 1980), baseball outfielder from Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic * Nelson Cruz (pitcher) (born 1972), baseball pitcher from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic * Oneil Cruz (born 1998), Dominican baseball player

Volleyball

* Áurea Cruz (born 1982), Puerto Rican volleyball player * Eva Cruz (born 1974), Puerto Rican volleyball player * Flávio Cruz (born 1982), Portuguese volleyball player * Jacqueline Cruz Silva (born 1962), Brazilian beach volleyball player

As a given name

* Cruz Bustamante (born 1953), American politician * Cruz Martínez Esteruelas (1932–2000), Spanish politician * Cruz Reynoso (1932–2021), American civil rights lawyer and jurist. * Cruz Beckham (2005), British musician, song of David Beckham

Fictional characters

* Artemio Cruz, protagonist of the novel '' La muerte de Artemio Cruz'' by Carlos Fuentes * Ernesto De La Cruz, the main antagonist of '' Coco'' * Kaylie Cruz, fictional character on the ABC Family series, '' Make It or Break It'' * Maritza Cruz, police sergeant in the television drama ''Third Watch'' * Ramiro "Ram" Cruz, the main protagonist of the games '' Total Overdose'' and '' Chili Con Carnage'' * Soma Cruz in the video game '' Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow'' * Sonia Cruz, a character in the Netflix series '' Grand Army'' * Rosa and Jiggy "Baseball" Cruz, characters in the British comic book series '' MPH'' *

Jessica Cruz Jessica Cruz, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, she is a member of the Green Lantern Corps and Justice League ...

, a

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

from

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. * Cruz Ramirez, a character in '' Cars 3'' * Cruz Coronado, protagonist of '' Explorer Academy'' * Cruz, a character in '' Elena of Avalor''

People with the surname

General

Arts

General

Actors and Actresses

Musical Artists

Politicians

Sports

Baseball

Volleyball

As a given name

Fictional characters

See also