Unisex name · since 1880

Cruz

Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 30,792 babies named Cruz, peaking in 2013. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#676 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#331 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
30,792
born since 1880
2010s
peak decade

30,792 babies have been named Cruz since 1880, making it today's #331 unisex name.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cruz has been recorded 30,792 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #331 nationally and more common than 98% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #676 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #331 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 30,792 born since 1880
  • 2010s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cruz ranks #676 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #331 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 30,792 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.

#676 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#331 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
30,792
born since 1880
2010s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%97.6%
Cruz vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Cruz's 30,792 recorded births place it above 98.51% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

46 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

46 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Cruz compares

30,792 Top 5% higher than 95% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Cruz's all-time total is 83x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Cruz Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 30,792 369 358,536
Peak-year births 1,250 34 22,252

Cruz's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Cruz splits its recorded history at 1964: 88% of all births land in the more recent half, 12% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1902 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2013 peak of 1,250 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Cruz popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (2013)
1,250
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
05001,0001,500 188019191935195119671983199920152025 1,025

Cruz popularity over time - girls

4,232 total births recorded since 1890 (Cruz as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 4,232 births
020406080100 189019131930194719641981199820152025 15

Cruz by decade

2010s is the heaviest window (10,982 births, 36% of the file).

2010s was Cruz's strongest decade.

10,982 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.

Cruz births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 10,982 births (36% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Cruz compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Cruz's total volume

Cruz vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15% 100110120130140150 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -146, 1.7%-146, 2.7%-112, 3.3%-146, 1.6%-146, 1.6%-137, 2.2%-146, 2.1%-146, 2.8%-133, 2.9%-146, 11.6%-122, 3.7%-116, 5.4%-105, 4.4%-123, 2.8%-133, 10.6%Cruz-146, 4.1%Cruz
Cruz vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Cruz by state

Where Cruz concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Regionally concentrated
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Cruz
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
6,949 22.6%
#2 Texas
6,073 19.7%
#3 Arizona
1,449 4.7%
#4 Florida
819 2.7%
#5 Illinois
816 2.7%
#6 New Mexico
782 2.5%
#7 Washington
743 2.4%
#8 Colorado
704 2.3%
California share of Cruz's total US births 22.6%
Even split

6,949 of 30,792 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.

Cruz appears in 46 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Cruz? ▼
30,792 babies have been named Cruz since 1880. All-time, it sits at #676 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #331 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 2013 with 1,250 births.
Where does Cruz sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cruz ranks #676 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #331 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Cruz most popular? ▼
Cruz was most popular in the 2010s decade with 10,982 total births. The single peak year was 2013.
Where is Cruz most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Cruz are California (6,949 births), Texas (6,073 births), Arizona (1,449 births).
Is Cruz a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Cruz is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 30,792 births, and as a girl's name it has 4,232 births.
How long has the name Cruz been used? ▼
Records for Cruz go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Cruz? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Crue, Cru, Cruze, Cruzito, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Cruz's data

  • Cruz's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (10,982 total births) through the 2020s (6,436) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • California records the most Cruzs (6,949 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Cruz

Nearby Names Like Cruz

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cruz

Crue Boy
#798 2,574 births
Cru Boy
#1620 1,553 births
Cruze Boy
#3211 861 births
Cruzito Boy
#4962 488 births
Cruise Boy
#8470 412 births

Compare Cruz side by side: Cruz vs Crue Cruz vs Cru Cruz vs Cruze

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Cruz

Josue #330
57,689 births · Peak 2007
Sutton #332
7,351 births · Peak 2025
Phoenix #329
24,571 births · Peak 2020
Finley #333
19,380 births · Peak 2021
Kaden #328
69,595 births · Peak 2006
Orion #334
23,120 births · Peak 2018
Aidan #327
118,431 births · Peak 2003
Martin #335
315,561 births · Peak 1963

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Cruz: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Cruz draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.