Cross Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Cross last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Cross coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Cross last name
Meaning of the Cross last name: dweller by a cross. Cross was a name for someone who lived by a market cross or a wayside cross, or at a crossroads. Crosses stood at the heart of many medieval towns and villages, where people met to trade and hear preaching. The name is common across England. A curious detail: the English word cross itself came in through Norse speakers, and many Cross families were early settlers of New England.
Arms associated with the Cross name
Medieval English knights painted their arms on shields and surcoats so they could be recognised in battle, the world in which Cross heraldry grew.
Get your full Cross family history
This is only a glimpse of the Cross story. The full Cross history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Cross coat of arms. Get the full Cross report.
Cross name FAQ
What does the Cross name mean?
Dweller by a cross. Common variants include Crosse, Croce, Kreuz.
Where does the Cross surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Ireland and Australia.
Is there a Cross coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Cross coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.