Hugo Boy

Popularity: #356 · Trend: ↗ Rising

Name Meaning & Origin Pronunciation: HYOO-go //ˈhjuːɡoʊ//

Origin: German; Latin; Old French

Meaning: German: mind; heart; Latin: bright in mind; Old French: intelligent

Historical & Cultural Background

The name Hugo has its roots in the Germanic element "hug," which means "mind" or "spirit." This etymological origin can be traced back to the Old High German form "Hugo," which was adopted into Latin as "Hugonis." The name made its way into Old French as "Hugues," before entering the English language in the form of "Hugo" during the Norman Conquest in the 11th century. The transition reflects the influence of Norman culture on England, where many names of Germanic origin were integrated into the vernacular.

Historically, the name Hugo has been borne by several notable figures, including Saint Hugo of Lincoln, a 12th-century bishop known for his piety and reformist efforts within the Church. His canonization in the late 12th century contributed to the name's prominence in medieval Europe.

Additionally, the name is associated with the influential French writer Victor Hugo, whose literary works in the 19th century, such as "Les Misérables" and "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame," have left a lasting impact on literature and culture, further embedding the name in the cultural consciousness. Culturally, the name Hugo has often been linked with qualities of intelligence and leadership, stemming from its original meaning related to the mind.

In various traditions, it has been associated with wisdom and nobility, making it a favored choice among aristocratic families throughout history. The diminutive form "Hugh" has also been historically significant, particularly in England, where it was borne by several medieval kings and nobles.

Overall, the name Hugo carries a rich historical and cultural legacy that has endured through the centuries.

Famous people named Hugo

In this section, you will find notable people named Hugo. We include individuals across a wide range of fields, including actors known for their work in film, television, and stage productions. You'll also find musicians, directors, and other public figures named Hugo who have made a significant impact on popular culture.

We also feature individuals named Hugo who have made meaningful contributions to science, politics, athletics, literature, and other areas of public interest.

Please note that not every baby name in our database currently has a famous namesake listed. If you would like to suggest a name we may have missed or submit a correction, feel free to contact us. We review and finalize additions and corrections within 24 hours.

Hugo Weaving is an actor best known for The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, and V for Vendetta.

Hugo Boss is a fashion designer best known for founding the Hugo Boss brand and its menswear collections.

Hugo Lloris is a professional footballer best known for playing as a goalkeeper for Tottenham Hotspur and the French national team.

Fictional characters named Hugo

The following list of fictional characters named Hugo is a work in progress. If you would like to suggest an additional character, please send us the character's name along with a brief, one-sentence description of what they are best known for.

You may also submit corrections, which we will review and update as quickly as possible.

Hugo Cabret is a fictional character from the novel and film The Invention of Hugo Cabret. He is an orphaned boy living in a Paris train station who seeks to unlock the mystery of a broken automaton left by his late father.

Hugo Strange is a fictional character from the DC Comics universe. He is a brilliant psychiatrist and one of Batman's earliest foes, known for his obsession with the Dark Knight.

Sibling suggestions

If you're looking for sibling name ideas that pair well with Hugo, the following options are frequently chosen as complementary choices by parents.

LeoMaxFelixOscarTheoJasperMilo

Similar names

Based on our extensive baby names database, several names share stylistic or phonetic similarities with Hugo. These names can serve as alternatives to the sibling suggestions listed above and may help you find the perfect complementary name for your growing family.

HughHumbertHollisHarlanHendrixHector

U.S. Historical Usage

The name Hugo was first seen in the United States in 1880.

Hugo has ranked as high as #755 nationally, which occurred in 2025, and has been most popular in California, Texas, New York, Illinois, and Florida.

In the past 5 years the name Hugo has been trending up compared to the previous 5 years.

Popularity Over Time (National)

The name Hugo is part of our comprehensive baby names database, which includes Social Security Administration (SSA) data dating back to 1880—the first official year of state and national tracking. The chart below shows when Hugo was first recorded in the United States and illustrates how its popularity has risen and fallen over time.

Popularity Over Time (National) — Table

We track the national popularity of each baby name annually. The table below displays each year along with the number of births reported by the Social Security Administration. This data combines all state-level reporting from the SSA's baby names database to provide a comprehensive view of overall birth counts for Hugo.

Year Total Births Boy Girl
2025 837 837 0
2024 799 799 0
2023 771 771 0
2022 800 800 0
2021 714 714 0
2020 715 709 6
2019 648 648 0
2018 733 733 0
2017 750 750 0
2016 724 724 0
2015 708 708 0
2014 695 695 0
2013 656 656 0
2012 639 639 0
2011 618 618 0
2010 616 616 0
2009 722 722 0
2008 779 779 0
2007 740 740 0
2006 811 811 0
2005 796 796 0
2004 759 759 0
2003 727 727 0
2002 715 715 0
2001 637 637 0
2000 638 638 0
1999 598 598 0
1998 570 570 0
1997 530 530 0
1996 519 519 0
1995 528 528 0
1994 548 548 0
1993 595 587 8
1992 619 613 6
1991 566 566 0
1990 558 552 6
1989 524 524 0
1988 421 421 0
1987 374 369 5
1986 368 368 0
1985 344 344 0
1984 298 298 0
1983 293 293 0
1982 355 350 5
1981 426 426 0
1980 339 339 0
1979 304 304 0
1978 220 220 0
1977 255 255 0
1976 242 242 0
1975 241 241 0
1974 252 252 0
1973 216 216 0
1972 175 175 0
1971 204 204 0
1970 162 162 0
1969 155 155 0
1968 156 156 0
1967 118 118 0
1966 123 123 0
1965 122 122 0
1964 103 103 0
1963 108 108 0
1962 121 121 0
1961 96 96 0
1960 96 96 0
1959 99 99 0
1958 89 89 0
1957 91 91 0
1956 73 73 0
1955 79 79 0
1954 80 80 0
1953 72 72 0
1952 81 81 0
1951 71 71 0
1950 59 59 0
1949 57 57 0
1948 45 45 0
1947 55 55 0
1946 59 59 0
1945 63 63 0
1944 46 46 0
1943 66 66 0
1942 49 49 0
1941 48 48 0
1940 41 41 0
1939 52 52 0
1938 57 57 0
1937 77 77 0
1936 72 72 0
1935 75 75 0
1934 66 66 0
1933 75 75 0
1932 97 97 0
1931 98 98 0
1930 143 143 0
1929 152 152 0
1928 132 132 0
1927 132 132 0
1926 159 159 0
1925 157 157 0
1924 159 159 0
1923 151 151 0
1922 139 139 0
1921 201 201 0
1920 161 161 0
1919 159 159 0
1918 184 184 0
1917 183 183 0
1916 200 200 0
1915 195 195 0
1914 169 169 0
1913 117 117 0
1912 107 107 0
1911 59 59 0
1910 39 39 0
1909 30 30 0
1908 31 31 0
1907 23 23 0
1906 27 27 0
1905 16 16 0
1904 26 26 0
1903 19 19 0
1902 26 26 0
1901 30 30 0
1900 23 23 0
1899 18 18 0
1898 25 25 0
1897 23 23 0
1896 31 31 0
1895 39 39 0
1894 32 32 0
1893 36 36 0
1892 37 37 0
1891 27 27 0
1890 43 43 0
1889 33 33 0
1888 27 27 0
1887 30 30 0
1886 19 19 0
1885 34 34 0
1884 17 17 0
1883 38 38 0
1882 19 19 0
1881 36 36 0
1880 24 24 0

Top States for Hugo (2024)

We track the most popular states for each baby name every year and highlight the locations where the name appears most frequently. The table below shows the five states with the highest number of births for this name in the selected year. Use the toggle to expand the list to every state with reported births.

State Births Share
CA 154
20%
TX 99
13%
NY 60
8%
FL 34
4%
IL 31
4%
MA 23
3%
WA 23
3%
NJ 23
3%
MN 22
3%
AZ 21
3%
NC 20
3%
GA 18
2%
OH 18
2%
PA 18
2%
VA 17
2%
CO 17
2%
UT 14
2%
MI 14
2%
OR 13
2%
WI 13
2%
TN 12
2%
MO 10
1%
OK 9
1%
AL 9
1%
KS 9
1%
CT 9
1%
DC 9
1%
SC 8
1%
MD 7
1%
IN 7
1%
KY 7
1%
LA 7
1%
IA 6
1%
NV 6
1%
NE 5
1%