Baby name meaning

Hugo

Mind, intellect · French form of Germanic origin

Meaning & origin

Hugo is a male name of French form of Germanic origin, meaning “Mind, intellect”.

How popular is Hugo?

In England & Wales, Hugo ranked #46 among boys' names in 2024, with 1,094 babies given the name — up from #70 in 2014. Its strongest year in the England & Wales series is 2021, when it reached #45.

In the United States, Hugo was the #421 boys' name in the 2020 data, after peaking at #265 in 1890.

The two territories disagree about Hugo: #46 in England & Wales against #421 in the US — a markedly more British choice.

Hugo — popularity rank over timePopularity rank of the boys' name Hugo over time, lower rank number = more popular. England and Wales annual rank 1996 to 2024. United States rank sampled one year per decade, 1950 to 2020.#1#10#100#1,00019501960197019801990200020102024US 1950: #894US 1960: #778US 1970: #639US 1980: #457US 1990: #416US 2000: #399US 2010: #440US 2020: #421England & Wales 2024: #46United StatesEngland & Wales
Hugo’s popularity rank over time — England & Wales annual rank (solid) and United States rank sampled once per decade (dashed), #1 at the top. Log scale: each gridline is 10× the rank above it.
Hugo in England & Wales: rank and births in sampled years, plus its peak year. Source: ONS ‘Baby names in England and Wales’.
YearE&W rankBirths
1996#217144
2000#202161
2005#179248
2010#149394
2015#551,153
2020#511,196
2021#451,325
2024#461,094

Famous Hugos

Names that go well with Hugo

Leo Emma

More on Hugo

Brisk, continental and quietly clever, Hugo is the boy's name that gets straight to the point.

Hugo: the name that means mind, and sounds it — Hugo as our Name of the Day.

Swipe & match on Hugo in Settle