Hugh
Germanic hug, “heart, mind, spirit,” a Norman staple in medieval England.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Hugh appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in 24 different years between 1880 and 1916. Its biggest year was 1916, when 1,619 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 96 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1887, at No. 69. In 2025 it ranked No. 732 for boys. All told, 84,179 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Huey (7,103), Huy (1,715), Hue (565) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Hudson
Explore Hugh interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,355 | No. 69 |
| 1890s | 2,405 | No. 73 |
| 1900s | 2,176 | No. 88 |
| 1910s | 10,201 | No. 96 |
| 1920s | 14,106 | No. 115 |
| 1930s | 11,700 | No. 128 |
| 1940s | 10,998 | No. 154 |
| 1950s | 9,697 | No. 203 |
| 1960s | 6,783 | No. 266 |
| 1970s | 3,177 | No. 368 |
| 1980s | 2,075 | No. 564 |
| 1990s | 1,791 | No. 736 |
| 2000s | 1,887 | No. 858 |
| 2010s | 2,479 | No. 799 |
| 2020s | 1,995 | No. 732 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
🍼 Enjoying this? Buy my baby a diaper
Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.