Hugh

Boy name

Hugh has been given to 84,179 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1916 and currently ranks #732 for boys (2025).

Meaning & origin /hjuː/

From the Old French aristocratic and saint's name Hughe, brought to England by Normans, from a short form of Germanic names beginning with Proto-Germanic *hugiz (“heart, mind”), such as Hubert. Cognate with Old English hyġe (“mind, spirit, intellect”)API. More at high, how.

Origin: Germanic languages

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

84,179

Peak year

1916 (1,626 babies)

Rank in 2025

#732 for boys

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▲ +36%

Gender split

0% girls / 100% boys

Famous people named Hugh

Hugh Jackman

Australian actor and singer

Hugh Grant

British actor

Hugh Hefner

American businessman and magazine publisher (1926–2017)

Hugh David Politzer

American physicist

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Hugh.

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