Cruzita
A diminutive Spanish feminine name meaning "little cross" or "little crucifix".
Name Census estimates that about 171 living Americans carry the first name Cruzita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cruzita today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cruzita births was 1954 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cruzita. 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.
People living today
171
~ 1 in 2,004,411 Americans
Peak year
1954
14 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
2005 SSA rank
#14,903
Tracked since 1927
Census
Cruzita in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 299 people with the first name Cruzita, which placed it at #29,541 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#29,541
National first-name rank
People counted
299
299 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
91.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cruzita
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cruzita is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Cruzita described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Cruzita at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.0% · 272
- White4.3% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 8
- Black or African American1.7% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Popularity
Cruzita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cruzita from the 1920s through to the 2000s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 62 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cruzita 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 Cruzita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cruzitas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Cruzita
The given name Cruzita is derived from the Spanish word "cruz," meaning cross. Its origins can be traced back to the Latin word "crux," which also means cross. This name has its roots in Christian traditions and beliefs, specifically in the reverence for the cross as a symbol of Christ's sacrifice and resurrection.
During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the name Cruzita gained popularity among the Hispanic populations. It was often bestowed upon girls born on significant Christian holidays or near churches named after the Holy Cross. The diminutive suffix "-ita" added to the name creates a sense of endearment and affection, making Cruzita a beloved and cherished name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cruzita can be found in the baptismal records of the San Miguel de Allende parish in Mexico, dating back to the late 16th century. In these records, a child named Cruzita was baptized in the year 1589, indicating the name's usage during the early colonial period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Cruzita. One such individual was Cruzita Alvarez (1898-1972), a Mexican-American actress and dancer who achieved fame in the early 20th century for her performances in vaudeville and silent films.
Another prominent figure was Cruzita Rivas (1920-1993), a Peruvian author and poet known for her works that explored themes of love, nature, and the human experience. Her poetry collections, such as "Mujer de Sol" (Woman of the Sun), received critical acclaim and contributed to the literary landscape of Latin America.
In the realm of art, Cruzita Ledesma (1933-2005) was a renowned Mexican painter and muralist. Her vibrant and colorful works, often depicting scenes from Mexican folklore and indigenous cultures, adorned public spaces and galleries throughout Mexico and abroad.
Cruzita Bendixen (1940-2018) was a distinguished scholar and professor of Latin American literature at the University of Southern California. Her research and publications on Central American literature and culture helped expand the understanding and appreciation of these literary traditions.
Finally, Cruzita Carranza (1952-2021) was a respected educator and advocate for bilingual education in the United States. Her dedication to promoting literacy and academic excellence among Hispanic students left a lasting impact on the educational landscape.
While the name Cruzita may not be as common today as it once was, its rich history and symbolic significance continue to resonate within the Hispanic community, serving as a testament to the enduring influence of Christian traditions and the cultural heritage of the Spanish-speaking world.
People
Cruzita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cruzita 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
Cruzita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cruzita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 171 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cruzita 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 2,004,411 US residents.
Is Cruzita a common name?
We classify Cruzita as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 257 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cruzita most popular?
The single biggest year for Cruzita was 1954, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cruzita is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cruzita in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 299 people with the name Cruzita, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #29,541 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Cruzita in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Cruzita?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cruzita appears almost entirely female. Of the 301 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Cruzita?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cruzita is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Cruzita most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Cruzita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (272 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cruzita in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cruzita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cruzita in the SSA data are female. 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.
Is Cruzita still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cruzita in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cruzita can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people are called Cruzita?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.