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Place

Cruz

Spanish/Portuguese “cross” — lived by a cross or came from a place named Cruz.

Confidence
High
US frequency
Rank 55 · 342,580 people
Common variants
Da Cruz, De la Cruz, Lacruz

The short story

Cruz is Spanish and Portuguese for “cross.” As a surname it usually marked someone who lived near a wayside cross or crossroads, or who came from one of the many places named (La) Cruz. Latin crux sits underneath the Romance word, so the meaning is not speculative.

Longer forms such as De la Cruz or Da Cruz make the “of the cross” idea explicit; Cruz can be a shortened everyday form. It is a place-type surname (feature in the landscape or a place-name), not a parent’s given name. For bilingual families, the English gloss is simply “cross,” with the reminder that the cross in question was often a landmark, not only a metaphor.

Also seen as: Da Cruz, De la Cruz, Lacruz

Sources used