Given name & surname
Cross
“pitcher, vessel”
Cross is a surname with more than one origin.
Original GermanKreutz
Meaning & origin
What it means
As a German surname, it goes back to a word meaning “pitcher, vessel.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
Cross has more than one origin: as an English surname, it comes from German; as a German surname, it comes from Middle Low German krus.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1997. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Cross through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,381
- 1,375 boys · 6 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 84 babies
- 2025
- 84
- #1,960 for boys · #13,589 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +65%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 78 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,960 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 62.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 6 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (12). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,073 as a first name in 2020; 75,035 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Cross’s family of names
In English usage, Cross as a surname shares a linguistic root with the German form KREUTZ. In English usage, Cross as a surname has a related form in CROSSE. In English usage, Cross as a surname has a related form in KRESS.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
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