Maricruz
Feminine · “Spanish "Mary of the Cross”
Spanish has a special combining form of María. When the name joins another it drops its final vowel and becomes Mari-, which is why Maricruz, Maricarmen, Marisol and Maribel all exist and Mariacruz does not. The rule belongs to Spanish itself, not to any American form.
How old is the name Maricruz?
Maricruz first appears in US birth records in 1962 — 63 years ago. The typical Maricruz alive today was born around 1995, making them about 30 years old. About 2,900 people named Maricruz are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Maricruz most popular?
Maricruz peaked in 1988, reaching #1003 nationally. Today it ranks #7491, 6,488 places below that high. See the whole 1988 chart.
Where it comes from
From Miryam to Maricruz
The story of Maricruz
Spanish Marian compounds work differently from the fused double names on American forms. Here the joining is a feature of the language: María shortens to Mari- before another element and the two are written as one word in Spain and Latin America, not because a form demanded it but because Spanish speakers treat the result as a single name. The elements come from Marian titles, each attached to a shrine or devotion — del Carmen, de los Dolores, de la Paz, de la Cruz, de la Soledad. Maricruz is one of the standard ones, and the American figures peak in 1988 with Mexican-American families.
Meaning
Spanish "Mary of the Cross"
María is the Spanish form of Mary, from Hebrew Miryam, whose meaning is genuinely unsettled — proposals include bitterness, beloved and an Egyptian element meaning beloved. Cruz is Latin crux, a cross, and is used in Spanish as a name in its own right for both sexes. The compound is a Marian title: Our Lady of the Cross, one of a large family that also gives Maridolores, Maripaz and Mariángeles.
How the name formed
- Miryam
- María
- María de la Cruz
- Maricruz
Related forms: María Cruz · Maria da Cruz · Maricarmen
Pronouncing Maricruz
mah-ree-KROOS
Three syllables, stress on the last, with a tapped r and a long oo in the final syllable. In Spain the z is a th sound, mah-ree-KROOTH; in Latin America it is an s.
Nicknames for Maricruz
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1962
- Most girls named
- 1990169 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1003reached in 1988
- Change vs 2024
- +16.7%14 in 2025, from 12
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Maricruz in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- María Cruz in Spanish — same name
- Maria da Cruz in Portuguese — same name
- Maricarmen in Spanish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas.
Maricruzs among us
people named Maricruz are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 114,805 born in 2025 was named Maricruz
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Royce test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Maricruz's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Royce climbed just as high around 1945, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Royce's path sketches the road Maricruz is walking now.
Maricruz sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Maricruz beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Maricruz in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It is a genuine Spanish compound, not an American record artifact.
- Mari and Cruz both work as complete names on their own.
- The elements are among the most settled names in the language.
- English speakers will try to split it into two names.
- The z is pronounced differently in Spain and Latin America.
- It reads as strongly Catholic and Spanish-language.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Maricruz
Feminine · #7491 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Maricruzs are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,900 people named Maricruz are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Maricruz in 2025?
- Maricruz ranks #7491 among US girl names in 2025, with 14 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Maricruz?
- About 1 in every 114,805 US girls born in 2025 was named Maricruz — 14 in all.
- Will my child share the name Maricruz with classmates?
- Maricruz will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Maricruz
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Christie#7491 · Carmelita#7491 · Jetta#7491 · Hildegard#7491 · Rickie#7491 · Billy#7491 · Angelyn#7491 · Jewell#7491
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Maricruz? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Maricruz and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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