Meaning not yet researched.
Hugh: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 360 in 2025. Its best rank was #69 in 1887.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #69 in 1887; #732 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Hugh in 2025 was a boy.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#732 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1887, at #69.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Hugh: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 360 boys in 2025. Peak: #69 in 1887 · most boys in one year: 1,619 (1916).
In 2025, 360 US boys were named Hugh, making it the 732nd most common boys’ name of the year, up 30 places from #762 in 2024. That is 27 more than the 333 boys named Hugh in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #69, reached in 1887. The most boys given the name in a single year was 1,619, in 1916. For comparison, it was #848 in 2015 and #206 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Hugh in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 224 babies with the name. In all, 84,179 US babies have been given the name, 0.4% of them girls and 99.5% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1920s, with 14,248 babies named Hugh.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 3,091 US boys were named Hugh; the busiest of those years was 2025, with 360. In 2025 that was about 1 in 4,745 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Hugh ranked highest in Massachusetts in 2025, at #350 for boys there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Hugo (37,518 babies since 1880), Huey (7,103 babies since 1880) and Huy (1,715 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Hughie, Hughes and Hue are summarised on this page.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Rare spellings summarised here: Hughie (1,676), Hughes (919), Hue (565), Hughey (405), Ugo (312), Huie (155), Hui (30), Hughy (13), Huai (10), Hugues (10), Hu (5), Hughe (5).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
No nicknames listed for Hugh in the open dataset we use.
Hugh is listed as a nickname for Hubert, Jehu.
Source: carltonnorthern/nicknames (Apache-2.0).
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 24 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 15 | #350 | #579 |
| Alabama | 12 | #433 | #747 |
| Iowa | 6 | #528 | — |
| Kansas | 6 | #550 | — |
| Illinois | 17 | #553 | #1,024 |
| Oregon | 6 | #556 | #593 |
| Mississippi | 5 | #562 | #565 |
| Tennessee | 13 | #564 | — |
| South Carolina | 8 | #571 | #696 |
| Washington | 12 | #586 | #726 |
| Michigan | 13 | #612 | #1,143 |
| Pennsylvania | 15 | #616 | — |
| Louisiana | 7 | #619 | #741 |
| Virginia | 11 | #643 | #453 |
| Utah | 6 | #656 | #642 |
| Minnesota | 7 | #674 | #410 |
| Missouri | 8 | #676 | #774 |
| North Carolina | 13 | #697 | #1,190 |
| New York | 21 | #703 | #1,033 |
| Wisconsin | 6 | #725 | #496 |
| Georgia | 11 | #813 | #1,142 |
| California | 30 | #819 | #866 |
| Maryland | 5 | #848 | #828 |
| Ohio | 9 | #892 | #873 |
| Texas | 27 | #920 | #955 |
| Florida | 12 | #1,085 | #1,595 |
| New Jersey | 5 | #1,088 | — |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | — | 360 | #732 |
| 2024 | — | — | 333 | #762 |
| 2023 | — | — | 323 | #785 |
| 2022 | — | — | 312 | #804 |
| 2021 | — | — | 343 | #742 |
| 2020 | — | — | 324 | #749 |
| 2019 | — | — | 287 | #799 |
| 2018 | — | — | 281 | #806 |
| 2017 | — | — | 264 | #838 |
| 2016 | — | — | 264 | #850 |
| 2015 | — | — | 265 | #848 |
| 2014 | — | — | 255 | #866 |
| 2013 | — | — | 227 | #915 |
| 2012 | — | — | 220 | #930 |
| 2011 | — | — | 210 | #946 |
| 2010 | — | — | 206 | #961 |
| 2009 | — | — | 199 | #995 |
| 2008 | — | — | 195 | #1,003 |
| 2007 | — | — | 200 | #982 |
| 2006 | — | — | 184 | #1,001 |
| 2005 | — | — | 182 | #961 |
| 2004 | — | — | 184 | #923 |
| 2003 | — | — | 194 | #880 |
| 2002 | — | — | 191 | #867 |
| 2001 | — | — | 187 | #858 |
| 2000 | — | — | 171 | #909 |
| 1999 | — | — | 178 | #854 |
| 1998 | — | — | 203 | #774 |
| 1997 | — | — | 202 | #744 |
| 1996 | — | — | 193 | #766 |
| 1995 | — | — | 175 | #807 |
| 1994 | — | — | 168 | #817 |
| 1993 | — | — | 142 | #903 |
| 1992 | — | — | 161 | #832 |
| 1991 | — | — | 176 | #774 |
| 1990 | — | — | 193 | #736 |
| 1989 | — | — | 210 | #687 |
| 1988 | — | — | 186 | #687 |
| 1987 | — | — | 199 | #652 |
| 1986 | — | — | 191 | #646 |
| 1985 | 5 | #11,268 | 224 | #587 |
| 1984 | — | — | 199 | #604 |
| 1983 | — | — | 199 | #606 |
| 1982 | — | — | 230 | #565 |
| 1981 | — | — | 210 | #590 |
| 1980 | — | — | 227 | #574 |
| 1979 | — | — | 237 | #558 |
| 1978 | — | — | 240 | #534 |
| 1977 | — | — | 262 | #504 |
| 1976 | — | — | 242 | #516 |
| 1975 | — | — | 280 | #478 |
| 1974 | — | — | 294 | #468 |
| 1973 | — | — | 299 | #454 |
| 1972 | — | — | 402 | #393 |
| 1971 | — | — | 435 | #384 |
| 1970 | — | — | 486 | #368 |
| 1969 | — | — | 460 | #366 |
| 1968 | 9 | #4,902 | 494 | #351 |
| 1967 | — | — | 502 | #337 |
| 1966 | — | — | 566 | #311 |
| 1965 | — | — | 656 | #293 |
| 1964 | — | — | 722 | #291 |
| 1963 | — | — | 794 | #272 |
| 1962 | — | — | 813 | #270 |
| 1961 | — | — | 873 | #269 |
| 1960 | — | — | 903 | #266 |
| 1959 | 5 | #6,615 | 984 | #255 |
| 1958 | 5 | #6,448 | 1,031 | #243 |
| 1957 | — | — | 967 | #245 |
| 1956 | — | — | 957 | #236 |
| 1955 | — | — | 896 | #236 |
| 1954 | — | — | 943 | #230 |
| 1953 | 5 | #6,014 | 959 | #219 |
| 1952 | — | — | 977 | #210 |
| 1951 | — | — | 1,024 | #203 |
| 1950 | 5 | #5,607 | 959 | #206 |
| 1949 | — | — | 1,042 | #198 |
| 1948 | — | — | 1,039 | #191 |
| 1947 | — | — | 1,201 | #176 |
| 1946 | — | — | 1,088 | #174 |
| 1945 | — | — | 961 | #171 |
| 1944 | 9 | #3,227 | 1,064 | #165 |
| 1943 | — | — | 1,206 | #160 |
| 1942 | 6 | #4,318 | 1,254 | #154 |
| 1941 | 6 | #4,154 | 1,083 | #160 |
| 1940 | — | — | 1,060 | #157 |
| 1939 | 6 | #3,969 | 999 | #160 |
| 1938 | 9 | #3,026 | 1,121 | #146 |
| 1937 | 5 | #4,525 | 1,070 | #143 |
| 1936 | 6 | #3,897 | 1,074 | #142 |
| 1935 | 12 | #2,486 | 1,142 | #139 |
| 1934 | 9 | #3,017 | 1,187 | #135 |
| 1933 | — | — | 1,118 | #141 |
| 1932 | 13 | #2,420 | 1,320 | #128 |
| 1931 | 8 | #3,337 | 1,326 | #131 |
| 1930 | 11 | #2,759 | 1,343 | #131 |
| 1929 | 11 | #2,816 | 1,228 | #139 |
| 1928 | 11 | #2,862 | 1,374 | #129 |
| 1927 | 17 | #2,204 | 1,357 | #131 |
| 1926 | 16 | #2,295 | 1,393 | #128 |
| 1925 | 13 | #2,683 | 1,386 | #127 |
| 1924 | 7 | #4,180 | 1,541 | #116 |
| 1923 | 18 | #2,122 | 1,412 | #123 |
| 1922 | 16 | #2,337 | 1,441 | #120 |
| 1921 | 15 | #2,429 | 1,485 | #120 |
| 1920 | 18 | #2,115 | 1,489 | #115 |
| 1919 | 9 | #3,315 | 1,417 | #114 |
| 1918 | 16 | #2,242 | 1,489 | #112 |
| 1917 | 12 | #2,629 | 1,403 | #110 |
| 1916 | 7 | #3,703 | 1,619 | #96 |
| 1915 | 9 | #2,992 | 1,318 | #111 |
| 1914 | 5 | #3,876 | 967 | #116 |
| 1913 | 6 | #2,995 | 754 | #115 |
| 1912 | 7 | #2,487 | 648 | #116 |
| 1911 | 7 | #2,060 | 307 | #121 |
| 1910 | — | — | 279 | #112 |
| 1909 | — | — | 260 | #104 |
| 1908 | — | — | 215 | #121 |
| 1907 | — | — | 212 | #113 |
| 1906 | — | — | 195 | #110 |
| 1905 | — | — | 200 | #107 |
| 1904 | — | — | 202 | #105 |
| 1903 | — | — | 193 | #101 |
| 1902 | — | — | 217 | #92 |
| 1901 | — | — | 192 | #91 |
| 1900 | — | — | 290 | #88 |
| 1899 | — | — | 209 | #88 |
| 1898 | — | — | 250 | #84 |
| 1897 | — | — | 213 | #86 |
| 1896 | — | — | 263 | #75 |
| 1895 | — | — | 243 | #80 |
| 1894 | — | — | 269 | #75 |
| 1893 | — | — | 241 | #78 |
| 1892 | — | — | 265 | #77 |
| 1891 | — | — | 233 | #73 |
| 1890 | — | — | 219 | #80 |
| 1889 | — | — | 225 | #78 |
| 1888 | — | — | 253 | #79 |
| 1887 | — | — | 250 | #69 |
| 1886 | — | — | 227 | #77 |
| 1885 | — | — | 257 | #73 |
| 1884 | — | — | 246 | #73 |
| 1883 | — | — | 215 | #74 |
| 1882 | — | — | 239 | #73 |
| 1881 | — | — | 219 | #70 |
| 1880 | — | — | 224 | #71 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).