Show ContentsCruise History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Cruise comes from a name for a brave or fierce person. The surname Cruise is derived from the Old English words crus or cruse.

Early Origins of the Cruise family

The surname Cruise was first found in Bedfordshire (Old English: Bedanfordscir), located in Southeast-central England, formerly part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Cruise family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cruise research. Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cruise History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cruise Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Cruise include Cruise, Cruice, Crouse, Cruse and others.

Early Notables of the Cruise family (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Cruise Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cruise Ranking

In the United States, the name Cruise is the 7,221st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [1]

Ireland Migration of the Cruise family to Ireland

Some of the Cruise family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Cruise migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Cruise or a variant listed above:

Cruise Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Patrick Cruise, who landed in Virginia in 1723 [2]
  • Thomas Cruise, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 [2]
  • Richard Cruise, who landed in New York in 1782 [2]
Cruise Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Russell Cruise, who arrived in New York, NY in 1830 [2]
  • Anna Maria Russell Cruise, who landed in New York, NY in 1841 [2]
  • Edward, Patrick, Peter, and Thomas Cruise, who settled in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1865

Canada Cruise migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cruise Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Elizabeth Cruise, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1813

Australia Cruise migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Cruise Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

New Zealand Cruise migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Cruise Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • John Cruise, aged 31, a farm labourer, who arrived in Bluff, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adamant" in 1875 [4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Cruise (post 1700) +

  • W. B. Cruise, American Democratic Party politician, Chair of Taylor County Democratic Party, 1917 [5]
  • Peter A. Cruise, American politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Rhode Island, 1924 [5]
  • Michael J. Cruise, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1928, 1932, 1936 [5]
  • John Cruise, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Iowa Democratic State Central Committee, 1971; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Iowa, 1972 [5]
  • Walton Edwin Cruise (1890-1975), American Major League Baseball outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Braves
  • Julee Cruise (b. 1956), American singer, and actress
  • Tom Cruise Mapother (b. 1962), Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe Award-winning American actor and film producer
  • William Cruise (d. 1824), Irish legal writer, second son of Patrick Cruise of Rahue or Rathugh, Westmeath [6]
  • Robert Cruise (1868-1932), Canadian Member of Parliament for Dauphin, Manitoba


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Boyd
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020


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