Find out how popular the last name DaCruz is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named DaCruz.

DaCruz, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the DaCruz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DaCruz in America

DaCruz is the 20382nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DaCruz surname appeared 1,304 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname DaCruz.

We can also compare 2010 data for DaCruz to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name DaCruz

The surname DACRUZ has its origins in Portugal, dating back to the 15th century. It is a combination of the Portuguese words "da" meaning "from" and "cruz" meaning "cross." This suggests that the name may have been derived from a location or geographical feature associated with a cross, such as a settlement near a crossroads or a place with a prominent cruciform structure.

The earliest recorded instances of the DACRUZ surname can be found in Portuguese parish records and historical documents from the late 15th and early 16th centuries. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the chronicles of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, who led the first maritime expedition from Europe to India in 1498. It is possible that some of the sailors or crew members on this voyage bore the surname DACRUZ.

During the Age of Exploration and the subsequent Portuguese colonization efforts, the DACRUZ name spread to various regions of the world, including Brazil, Africa, and parts of Asia. This dispersal was likely facilitated by Portuguese settlers, missionaries, and traders who carried the name with them as they established communities abroad.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the DACRUZ surname was Pedro da Cruz (c. 1470 - c. 1540), a Portuguese navigator and explorer who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous circumnavigation voyage in 1519-1522. Another notable figure was Gaspar da Cruz (c. 1520 - c. 1570), a Portuguese Dominican friar and author who wrote extensively about the cultures and religions of India and Southeast Asia.

In the 17th century, Diogo da Cruz (c. 1605 - c. 1670) was a Portuguese Jesuit missionary who worked in China and contributed to the early scientific study of Chinese language and culture. During the same period, Álvaro da Cruz (c. 1625 - c. 1690) was a prominent Portuguese architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings and fortifications in Brazil.

Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, José da Cruz Souza (1858 - 1898) was a Brazilian poet and one of the leading figures of the Symbolist movement in Brazilian literature. His work explored themes of race, identity, and the African diaspora experience in Brazil.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DaCruz

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname DaCruz.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for DaCruz was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of DaCruz has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name DaCruz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of DaCruz, please contact us.

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