Cruz

About Cruz

Cruz means “cross” in Spanish and Portuguese, with a naming history rooted in Christianity. The short form has been used for both sexes. California judge Cruz Reynoso and the animated racing character Cruz Ramirez give it associations with public service and family cinema.

Meaning and sound

As a given name, Cruz refers to the cross of the crucifixion. Its religious significance helped carry a common word into personal naming.

Cruz also occurs in surnames and place names, including longer combinations with Santa or de la. The single given name keeps the central word without those additions.

In much of Latin America and Brazil, it sounds approximately KROOS. In much of Spain, the final consonant is closer to the th in “thin,” while European Portuguese commonly ends with a sh sound.

English speakers often use KROOZ. These forms remain one syllable, making Cruz unusually compact beside longer Spanish and Portuguese names. Cruzita is an established Spanish diminutive.

Cruz Reynoso and the law

Reynoso became the first Latino justice on the California Supreme Court. He served there from 1982 to 1987.

His earlier work included leadership of California Rural Legal Assistance, beginning in 1968. That organization worked with communities whose access to legal help was often limited, including agricultural workers. His work included efforts against the short-handled hoe, which forced agricultural workers to stoop, connecting legal advocacy with the physical conditions of their daily labor.

He also entered legal education, joining the University of New Mexico in 1972 and later teaching at the University of California, Davis. His career joined courtroom work with the training of future lawyers.

In 2000, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his public service. The recognition gives Cruz a connection with a specific history of civil rights advocacy and legal access.

Cruz Ramirez in Cars 3

Cruz Ramirez is a trainer at the Rust-eze Racing Center in Pixar's Cars 3, voiced by Cristela Alonzo. Her work involves helping racers use new technology and develop their performance.

When veteran Lightning McQueen arrives, she must apply those methods to someone whose confidence has been shaken by a faster generation of competitors.

The relationship connects experience with newer ways of learning. Cruz's energy and technical knowledge make her central to McQueen's attempt to return to competition.

The character also gives the name a conspicuous feminine example, alongside the stronger masculine use in recent American birth records.

American popularity

Cruz was given to 282 American boys in 2000 and 991 in 2010. Its highest count and best ranking came in 2013, with 1,250 births at #279.

In 2025, 1,025 boys received Cruz, ranking #331. Fifteen girls were also recorded that year.

Girls' use has an older American history as well: its strongest year was 1923, with eighty-four births at #793. The two series show a recent masculine rise alongside a smaller, longer-established feminine record.

How popular is Cruz?

In 2025, Cruz ranked #331 among boys in the United States, with 1,025 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for boys in 1880; its largest annual count was 1,250 in 2013. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.