Will my child share the name Hugo with classmates?

Unlikely. With around 1,094 UK babies named Hugo per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Hugo in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.

Is Hugo becoming more or less popular in the UK?

Hugo has been fairly steady, ranked #46 in 2025 against #51 in 2020. Its best recorded position was #45 in 2021.

What does the name Hugo mean?

The name Hugo has Germanic origins and means "Mind, intellect". Names with clear etymological roots tend to age well — they carry weight beyond fashion cycles and give children a story to tell about their name.

Who are some famous people named Hugo?

Notable people named Hugo include: Hugo Souza, Hugo Speer and Hugo Ekitike.

Is Hugo a popular baby name in the United States?

Hugo appears in the US top 500 at #403 in 2024 — moderately popular in America, though less so than in the UK.

👦 Boy's name ⭐ Popular UK #46

Hugo

🗳️ Add Hugo to a family shortlist

Hugo is a popular choice in the UK, ranked #46 in 2025. There's a good chance they'll share their name with at least one classmate throughout school.

Origin & Meaning

Germanic — Mind, intellect

⭐

UK Rank 2025

#46

US Rank #378

About the Name Hugo

Hugo has held its ground, ranked #46 in 2025 and never far from its best of #45 in 2021 — a name with lasting rather than trend-driven appeal. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996. It has featured in the UK top 100 for 13 years, demonstrating solid mainstream recognition.

In terms of origin, Hugo is rooted in Germanic, where it means "Mind, intellect". Names with strong etymological stories tend to age well — they carry weight beyond fashion cycles.

Hugo is a very popular name in the UK — yet a class of 28 is small enough that your child will very likely be the only Hugo on the register.

In the US it sits at #403 — notably more popular in the UK than across the Atlantic.

⭐ Famous People Named Hugo

Hugo Souza — Hugo de Souza Nogueira, known as Hugo Souza (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈugu ˈsowzɐ]), is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Corinthians and the Brazil national team.
Hugo Speer — Hugo Alexander Speer is an English actor and director.
Hugo Martínez (police officer) — General Hugo Rafael Martínez Poveda was a Colombian police general.

Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the name Hugo

1,094

UK babies named Hugo (2025)

~0.0

Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)

~0.6

In a school of 600

↑ 5 places

Rank change (last 5 years)

🏫 Who else is in the room?

In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Hugo

Almost certainly the only Hugo in the class

UK Popularity (1996–2025)

Rank and birth count · ONS official data

US Popularity (2020–2025)

Rank · SSA official data

✨ Similar names to Hugo

Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story

→

→

→

→

🔮

Check another name

Enter any baby name to get UK and US popularity data, classroom predictions and trend charts.

🔮 Try the Name Checker 📚 Browse All Names

Famous People Named Hugo

Notable people who share this name, from history to the present day. See full list on Wikipedia

Hugo Souzab. 1999

Hugo de Souza Nogueira, known as Hugo Souza (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈugu ˈsowzɐ]), is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Corinthians and the Brazil national team.

Hugo Speerb. 1968

Hugo Alexander Speer is an English actor and director.

Hugo Martínez (police officer)b. 1986

General Hugo Rafael Martínez Poveda was a Colombian police general.

Hugo Ekitikeb. 2002

Hugo Timothée Ekitike is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Liverpool and the France national team.

Hugo Vickers1951

Hugo Ralph Vickers is an English writer and broadcaster.

Hugo Boss (businessman)

Hugo Ferdinand Boss was a German businessman who founded the fashion house Hugo Boss.

Hugo Chávez

Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías was a Venezuelan politician, revolutionary, and military officer who was the president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013.

Hugo Simberg

Hugo Gerhard Simberg was a Finnish symbolist painter and graphic artist.

Adèle Hugo

Adèle Hugo was the fifth and youngest child of French writer Victor Hugo.