Cruz

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Cruz
Meister des Reliquienkreuzes von Cosenza 002.jpg
PronunciationSpanish: IPA: [kɾuθ] or [kɾus]
Portuguese: IPA: [kɾuʃ]
Language(s)Spanish, Portuguese.
Origin
Meaning Cross
Region of originSpain, Portugal
Other names
Variant form(s)"Vera Cruz", "Santa Cruz", "De la Cruz"

Cruz is primarily a surname, but is also used as a first name mainly in the US and the UK. It is of Iberian origin, first found in Castile,[ citation needed ] Spain, and later spread throughout the territories of the former Spanish and Portuguese Empires. In Spanish and Portuguese, the word means "cross", either the Christian cross or the figure of transecting lines or ways. For example, in the Philippines, the adopted Tagalog word is rendered to "krus" in plain usage, but the Spanish spelling survives as a surname.

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The word "Cruz", 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 of 1492 and the increasing activities of the Spanish Inquisition, when New Christian families with Crypto-Jewish, Moorish, and/or mixed religious heritage converted to the state-enforced religion of Catholicism and subsequently fashioned and adopted surnames with unambiguous religious affiliation.

As a first name in the US, Cruz is ranked #303 in 2024 according to social security. It saw a boost in popularity after David Beckham named one of his sons Cruz.

People with the surname

General

Arts

General

  • Amina Cruz, 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
American
Filipino

Musical Artists

General
  • Celia Cruz (1924–2003), Cuban salsa singer
  • Gilda Cruz-Romo (1940–2025), Mexican operatic soprano
  • Simon Cruz, Swedish singer of glam metal band Crashdïet
  • Taio Cruz, British singer (born Adetayo Ayowale O. A. Onile-Ere)
  • Toni Cruz (1946–2025), Spanish singer and television producer.
American
  • Adam Cruz, American jazz drummer
  • Tony Sunshine (Antonio Cruz, born 1977), Puerto Rican R&B singer
  • Bobby Cruz (born 1937 or 1938), Puerto Rican salsa singer and religious minister
  • Jason Cruz (born 1974), American musician, artist, poet

Politicians

Sports

Baseball

Volleyball

As a given name

Fictional characters

See also