Its name originates from its location at the eastern tip of the Kruispolder, a "crossed" polder adjacent to a (now nonexistent) seaport on the southern bank of the Western Scheldt estuary.

[1] Kruispolderhaven is the harbour of the Kruispolder, which was reclaimed from the sea in 1612 by the Spaniards.

[2] They built the dikes straight and at right angles to each other, making a cross.

Later derivations of the surname Cruys became Cruijsse, Crouse, and Kruis, among others.

[3] Today, while other dikes protect Kruispolderhaven, the original "cross" dikes have been reduced to field level and are represented by the east-west roads, Kruispolderkaai (cross-polder-quay) and Lange Nieuwstraat (long new-street).