Cross
A name denoting the Christian cross and the suffering of Christ.
Name Census estimates that about 1,283 living Americans carry the first name Cross. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cross today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cross births was 2021 (76 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cross. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Cross is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 15 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 267,151 Americans
Peak year
2021
76 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,441
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Cross: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cross from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 470 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Cross remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cross by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cross during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cross' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. Texas, California, Georgia recorded the most babies named Cross, while New York, North Carolina, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 30 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cross
The given name Cross is an English word name derived from the Old English word "cros" which itself comes from the Old French "crois" meaning a cross or crucifix. The name likely originated in medieval times as a reference to the Christian cross or crucifix which held significant religious symbolism.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Cross dates back to the 11th century in England. It was initially used as a surname denoting someone who lived near a cross or crucifix. The earliest recorded person with the given name Cross was Sir Cross de la Fourest, an English knight who lived during the reign of King Edward I in the late 13th century.
During the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, the name Cross gained popularity among Puritan families in England who embraced the symbolism of the cross as a representation of their faith. One notable figure from this period was Cross Milton, the older brother of the famous poet John Milton, who was born in 1608.
In the 17th century, the name Cross was also used by some Quaker families in England, who rejected the use of traditional English surnames and instead adopted descriptive or symbolic given names. One example was Cross Fell, a Quaker preacher and writer born in 1642 in Yorkshire.
Another notable figure with the name Cross was Cross Wilkins, an English clergyman and natural philosopher who lived from 1614 to 1672. He was a member of the influential group of philosophers known as the "Invisible College" which later became the Royal Society.
In the 19th century, the name Cross became more widespread as a given name in the United States, particularly among Protestant Christian families. One notable American with the name was Cross G. Mills, a Baptist minister and abolitionist born in 1835 who played a significant role in the Underground Railroad.
People
Cross + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cross as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cross: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cross?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,283 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cross going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 267,151 US residents.
Is Cross a common name?
We classify Cross as "Rare". It ranks above 91.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,297 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cross most popular?
The single biggest year for Cross was 2021, when 76 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cross is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cross a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cross in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.