2000
#629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,158
First available Census row
Per 100,000 18.22
Uncommon Last name
Delacruz
A Spanish surname meaning "of the cross," referring to a person who lived near a cross or crucifix.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 87,409 Americans carry the last name Delacruz. That puts it at #417 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 25.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Delacruz surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Delacruz with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
87K
1 in 3,921
Census rank
#417
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
25.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
76K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 76,225 bearers of the surname Delacruz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 25.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 417th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Delacruz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.6%) and White (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Delacruz
The surname Delacruz has its origins in Spain and Portugal, dating back to the late 15th century. It is a combination of the Spanish words "de la" meaning "of the" and "cruz" meaning "cross". The name likely originated as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near a prominent cross or crucifix, or for someone who played a significant role in religious ceremonies involving the cross.
One of the earliest known records of the Delacruz surname is found in the 16th-century Spanish census records from the region of Andalusia. The name also appears in various historical documents from the Spanish colonial era in the Americas, particularly in Mexico and the Philippines.
In the late 16th century, a Spanish explorer named Juan Delacruz is recorded as having sailed with the famed conquistador Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to the New World. Another notable figure was Pedro Delacruz, a Spanish missionary who served in the Philippines in the early 17th century and played a crucial role in the spread of Christianity in the region.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Delacruz surname became more widespread across Spain and its colonial territories. One prominent individual was María Delacruz, a Spanish nun and mystic who lived from 1629 to 1707 and was known for her religious visions and writings.
In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the Delacruz name was José Delacruz, a Mexican military officer and politician who served as the governor of the state of Jalisco from 1853 to 1855. Another significant figure was Miguel Delacruz, a Spanish writer and poet who was born in 1827 and is known for his contributions to the Romantic literary movement.
As the Delacruz surname spread across the globe, it became more common in Latin American countries, particularly in Mexico, where many families trace their ancestry back to Spanish settlers. The name is also found in various other parts of the world, reflecting the widespread influence of Spanish and Portuguese cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Delacruz
Among Census respondents with the surname Delacruz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.6%) and White (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Delacruz bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Delacruz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino75.0% · 57,139
- Asian and Pacific Islander18.6% · 14,170
- White4.2% · 3,198
- Two or more races1.5% · 1,167
- Black or African American0.5% · 387
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 164
Timeline
Historical Census data for Delacruz
Delacruz appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 72,109
+22,951 bearers (+46.7%)
Per 100,000 24.45
Rank movement Up 171 places
2020
#417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 76,225
+4,116 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 25.50
Rank movement Up 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #629 | 49,158 | 18.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #458 | 72,109 | 24.45 | +22,951 bearers (+46.7%) | Up 171 places |
| 2020 | #417 | 76,225 | 25.50 | +4,116 bearers (+5.7%) | Up 41 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Delacruz surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #458 | #417 | 9.0% |
| Count | 72,109 | 76,225 | 5.7% |
| Per 100K | 24.45 | 25.50 | 4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Delacruz bearers went from 72,109 to 76,225 (+5.7% change). The surname moved up 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #458 to #417.
FAQ
Delacruz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Delacruz?
Name Census estimates that about 87,409 living Americans carry the surname Delacruz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,921 residents.
How common is Delacruz?
Delacruz ranks #417 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 25.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 26 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 76,225 people with the surname Delacruz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (87,409), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 25.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 25.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 26 of them to have the surname Delacruz.
Has Delacruz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Delacruz went from 72,109 recorded bearers to 76,225. That is an increase of 4,116 (+5.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #458 to #417.
What does the Census say about the background of Delacruz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Delacruz, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.6%) and White (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Delacruz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.0% (57,139 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Delacruz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (75.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (18.6%), White (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Delacruz (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Delacruz mean?
A Spanish surname meaning "of the cross," referring to a person who lived near a cross or crucifix. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Delacruz (25.50 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Delacruz?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.