Name of the Day: Cruz
Since we at ApMtn occasionally slam celeb baby naming style, we’ve been thinking about starbaby names that we admire. While there are a few that we just plum don’t get, the truth is that many are quite interesting - and might even work on your superstar.
Cruz is one that we find quite appealing. If surname names are so mainstream that the average kindergarten sounds like a law firm - “Tyson, Marley and Parker sit down!” - then it stands to reason that non-Anglo surnames are the next wave. And while two-syllable choices for boys have been au courant for some time, that makes a single-syllable choice for your son even more distinctive.
Unlike many surnames, the Iberian Cruz has a meaning that will appeal to many parents - in Spanish and Portuguese, it means cross. While Cross is one noun name that would be too much to bear, Cruz is a faithful choice that wears well on a child. Stack “cross” up against the occupational, “son of” or “from the” meanings attributed to most last names and this one packs a double whammy.
Of course the lack of a poetic meaning hasn’t stopped parents from adopting surnames for both genders, and that’s part of why the exotic Cruz fits right in. Consider these Top 50 choices for boys: Logan, Tyler, Jackson. And we’ve been naming our daughters Madison, Addison and Taylor for years.
In addition to poets, playwrights, pro athletes and politicians, a boy named Cruz will share his appellation with places, from South America to the California coast. Dozens of Santa Cruzes and Vera Cruzes dot the map worldwide, including the Santa Cruz Mountains near San Francisco and the Mexican state of Veracruz. Your son will become accustomed to either standing in places that share his name - or at least seeing them on maps and in history books.
Our only hesitation with Cruz is the soap opera sudsy feel of the name. It’s a bit romantic for someone who will spend his early years throwing Cheerios and knocking over building block towers.
It’s a small point, but one that might give a modern parent pause. After all, most one-syllable names sacrifice the opportunity of a built-in pet name. Of course, if you’re shopping for a nickname-proof moniker, that’s yet another point in Cruz’s favor.
And lastly, it must be said that Cruz has more history of use as a given name than many surname choices. In the US alone, it’s been in the Top 1000 nearly every year since 1919. It now stands at #431 and rising - we expect it to continue to gain through 2010.
So while I’m not lining up to buy Victoria Beckham’s DVB Denim, I must say that the name she chose for her third son is one worthy of consideration for we mere mortals.
Filed under: Hot Names of 2010, Names for Boys, Names of the Day, Starbaby |
Tags: Cruz
At the risk of sounding racist, I find Cruz, Ramos, etc. really out of place on the super pale blonde type kids. I know that people from Spain are capable of being just as pale as me, but it just doesn’t sound right to me. My sister babysat a family with kids names Kaia, Kruz, Ramos, and Ramses. All of them looked like Aryan poster kids, so a Native American name, two Spanish names, and an Egyptian name threw me off. When I asked their mother where the names came from, the answer was “TV. Aren’t they cuuuuute?”
At the same time, I think the reasons you’ve presented make a lot of sense, I don’t hate the idea at all. I just associate Cruz so strongly with the Kruz I knew, so it seems a bit flimsy to me personally.
Funny how a personal association can taint a name! I do think that Cruz is a better choice for someone with some claim to Latino heritage. (Of course, David Beckham was playing for Real Madrid when his son was born - does that count?!)
To me, the major problem with Kruz is that K! Not klassy. And Ramos and Ramses do seem pretty outlandish and tough to wear - even by my liberal standards. Kaia is so common that I’m less inclined to think about its origins. After all, I know little girls called Emma Rodriguez and Katelyn Castillo.
But overall, you raise a good point. I wouldn’t choose a given name like Kimiko or Kiet, because we haven’t a drop of Japanese or Thai blood. While I don’t think it’s wise to weight meaning too highly, it *is* a good idea to think about history and usage - and whether it is reasonable to see your child as a Tuesday, a Tallulah, a Caspian or a Cruz. It’s one thing to hear a name on TV and do some research … but to hear it on TV, guess at a reasonable spelling and slap it on your kiddo forever and ever, amen? Not a great plan.
Of course, funny things happen. A half-Japanese and very exotic-looking friend of mine named her daughter Midori. While her husband is of European descent, he’s fairly dark, too, so it was a safe bet that the name would fit.
As luck would have it, her daughter inherited her paternal grandmother’s red hair.