Cruz
Cruz is a surname of Iberian origin, first found in Castile, Spain, but 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.
The Christian Cross | |
Pronunciation | Spanish: IPA: [kruθ] or [krus] Portuguese: IPA: [kruʃ] |
---|---|
Language(s) | Spanish, Portuguese. |
Origin | |
Meaning | Cross |
Region of origin | Spain, Portugal |
Other names | |
Variant form(s) | "Vera Cruz", "Santa Cruz", "De la Cruz" |
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 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.
People with the surname
General
- Alberto Cruz (disambiguation), multiple people
- Alejandro Cruz (disambiguation), multiple people
- Alex Cruz (disambiguation), 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), 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 suspect in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
- Oswaldo Cruz (1872–1917), Brazilian physician, bacteriologist, and epidemiologist
- Richard Cruz (disambiguation), multiple people
Arts
General
- 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
- Nilo Cruz (born 1962), Cuban-American playwright and Pulitzer prize winner
Actors and Actresses
- General
- Ernesto Gómez Cruz (born 1933), Mexican actor
- Ileana D'Cruz, Indian actress from Goa
- Monica 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 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
- 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
- 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, 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
- Inmaculada Cruz (1960–2013), Spanish politician
- Ted Cruz (born 1970), (Rafael Edward Cruz) Canadian-American politician and United States Senator from Texas since 2013
- Benjamin J.F. Cruz (born 1951), Guamanian politician
- Catalina Cruz (born 1980s) New York politician
Sports
- Adolfo Schewelm Cruz (1923–2012), Argentine Formula One race car driver
- Beatriz Cruz (born 1980), Puerto Rican track and field athlete
- Dominick Cruz (born 1985), American professional mixed martial artist
- Iohana Cruz (born 1980), Cuban diver
- Joaquim Cruz (born 1963), Brazilian athlete and Olympic gold medal winner
- 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
- Rolando Cruz (born 1939), Puerto Rican pole vaulter
- Roque Santa Cruz (born 1981), Paraguayan football player
- Victor Cruz (American football) (born 1986), wide receiver
- Wendy Cruz (born 1976), Dominican Republic cyclist
Baseball
- Edvandro Cruz (born 1978), Brazilian mountaine biker
- Frank Cruz (born c. 1959), American college baseball coach
- 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
Volleyball
- Áurea Cruz (born 1982), Puerto Rican volleyball player
- Eva Cruz (born 1974), Puerto Rican volleyball player
- Flavio 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
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
- Jessica Cruz, a Green Lantern from DC Comics.
- Cruz Ramirez, a character in Cars 3
See also
- Cruz (disambiguation), other meanings
- De la Cruz surname page
- Santa Cruz (disambiguation)
- Veracruz (disambiguation)
- Croce
- Cruise (disambiguation)
- Cruiser (disambiguation)
- Cruising (disambiguation)
- Cruse (disambiguation)
- Cruze (disambiguation)
- Cruzer
- Kruse (disambiguation)