UK boy's name
Cruise
A word associated with traveling at a moderate and comfortable speed.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Cruise is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Cruise popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2813, with 7 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2023, with 7 births.
This profile covers 20 England and Wales registrations across 5 recorded years from 2009 to 2023. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Cruise is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 20 living people in the UK are called Cruise. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2024 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Cruise ranked #2813 for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with 7 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2023, when 7 boys were registered as Cruise.
- • About 20 living people in the UK are estimated to have Cruise as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2813
2023
Births in 2023
7
Latest year
Peak year
2023
7 births
Estimated living
20
2026
Meaning
What does Cruise mean?
The name Cruise is an English surname that later became used as a given name. It is derived from the Middle English word "cruisen," which means "to sail or journey about." This word originated from the Old French word "cruisir," which comes from the Dutch word "kruisen," meaning "to cross" or "to cruise."
The name Cruise is believed to have originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked on ships or boats, perhaps as a sailor or a captain. It may have also been given to someone who lived near a crossroads or a place where two roads intersected.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Cruise as a surname dates back to the 13th century in England. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a man named Reginald le Cruiser was mentioned as a resident of Oxfordshire.
In the 16th century, the name Cruise appeared in several historical records, including the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524, which listed a Thomas Cruse in Somerset, England.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the first name Cruise was Cruise O'Nolan, an Irish writer and satirist who lived from 1917 to 1966. He is best known for his novel "At Swim-Two-Birds," which is considered a masterpiece of metafiction.
Another notable person with the first name Cruise was Cruise R. Walsh, an American businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1903 to 1982. He was the founder of the Cruise Companies, a highly successful conglomerate of businesses in the automotive industry.
In the realm of sports, Cruise Whitfield was an American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1982 to 1991. He was a member of the Detroit Pistons team that won the NBA championship in 1989.
Cruise Bobby, a Canadian actor and filmmaker, is another notable person with this first name. Born in 1965, he is best known for his roles in films such as "Highway 61" and "The Tracey Fragments."
Lastly, Cruise Wilkinson was a British actor and playwright who lived from 1923 to 2007. He was known for his work in television and theater, including his role in the popular British soap opera "Coronation Street."
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Cruise over time
The chart below shows babies named Cruise registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2009 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Cruise, the clearest high point is 2023. The latest England and Wales figure is 7 births in 2023, compared with 7 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cruise by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Cruise was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #3817 | 14 | 3 |
| 2010s | #4685 | 3 | 1 |
| 2000s | #4527 | 3 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Cruise
- Charlie 104,761
- Callum 65,796
- Connor 53,072
- Cameron 40,394
- Charles 33,091
- Christopher 26,849
- Caleb 15,553
- Corey 12,622
- Carter 11,505
- Cody 11,075
- Conor 10,298
- Christian 9,695
FAQ
Cruise: questions and answers
How popular is the name Cruise in the UK right now?
In 2023, Cruise was ranked #2813 for boys in England and Wales, with 7 births registered.
When was Cruise most popular?
The peak year on record was 2023, with 7 babies registered as Cruise in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Cruise?
A word associated with traveling at a moderate and comfortable speed.
How many people are called Cruise in the UK?
A total of 20 babies have been registered as Cruise across the 5 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.