Hugh is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Hugh means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Hugh across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Hugh has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Hugh is a boy name of Germanic origin meaning “heart, mind, spirit”. introduced to England by the Normans.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 84,179 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 3,190 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 1,386 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 315 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 4,077 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 101 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Hugh per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1916 (1,626/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1997 (165/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1965 (118/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1974 (86/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2015 (19/yr).
Hugh has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1916, when it ranked #229 nationally (given to 1,626 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1910s.
Huey · Hughie · Huy · Hughey · Huie · Hughy · Hue · Hughe
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