Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The name Santa Cruz (Spanish for "Holy Cross") was bestowed by the Spanish explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo on October 17, 1542. Sailing along the California coast, Cabrillo entered the bay on the Catholic feast day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14 in the modern calendar; the date varied in the 16th century). Following the tradition of naming geographic features after the saint's day of discovery, he christened the bay Bahía de Santa Cruz. The name later extended to the mission (Mission Santa Cruz, founded 1791), the town, and the county.