Hugo

Latinized form of Hugh

"mind, intellect"

Updated Mon Sep 02 2024

Hugo Origin and Meaning

The name Hugo is a boy's name of German, Spanish, Portuguese origin meaning "mind, intellect".

Hugo, the Latin form of Hugh, has more heft and energy than the original -- and of course we love names that end (or begin, for that matter) with an o. This one is especially appealing because it's backed up by lots of solid history and European style.

Hugo is one of those names that misses by a single year ranking in the Top 1000 for its entire history. It fell off the list in 1948, the height of post-WWII pro-American fervor, before heading back up.

Hugh has held steady in the middle of the US Top 1000 for more than 40 years now, but we predict might be headed for the kind of popularity it enjoys in the rest of the English-speaking world and many European countries.

Hugo ranks in or near the Top 100 in countries and cultures as diverse as Sweden and Spain, France and Finland. It's also a favorite boys' name on Nameberry, usually a harbinger of future success in the US as a whole.

In the seventh Harry Potter novel, Ron and Hermione bestow the name Hugo on their son. Hugo Strange, meanwhile, is a longtime adversary of Batman.

Real-life Hugos include Hugo Chavez, the late president of Venezuela, and the fashion world's Hugo Boss. In the more distant past there was the distinguished Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black.

Trivia tidbit: The annual awards for sci-fi writing are called the Hugos, honoring early genre writer Hugo Gernsback.

# 415 in the US

Hugo Rank in US Top 1000

# 24 on Nameberry

Hugo Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Hugo Popularity

415US2023
24Nameberry2024
194Canada2022
322Future2028
47England2022
123Scotland2023
57Ireland2023
27Australia2023
23New Zealand2023
18France2023
150Germany2016
49Netherlands2023
3Spain2022
61Portugal2018
214Mexico2021
4Sweden2022
19Denmark2023
18Finland2023
20Belgium2023
130Switzerland2023
112Poland2020

20 Names Similar to Hugo

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Hugo.

Famous People Named Hugo

Hugo Grotius (b. 1583)Dutch jurist and "father" of international law
Hugo Chavezlate President of Venezuela
Hugo BossGerman fashion designer
Hugo WeavingAustralian actor
Hugo WolfAustrian composer
Hugo Theorellwinner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Hugo Pierre Leclercq aka Madeona French electronic music producer
Hugo Eric Louis van Lawick (b. 1967) son of zoologist Jane Goodall and filmmaker Hugo van Lawick
Hugo Davis (b. 1996)son of actor Phil Davis
Hugo James Wentzel (b. 1999)son of Amy Carter; grandson of U.S. President Jimmy Carter
Hugo Häkkinen (b. 2001)son of racing driver Mika Häkkinen

Hugo Steuer (b. 2003)son of skater Ingo Steuer
Hugo Bernard Tambor (b. 2009)son of actor Jeffrey Tambor
Hugo Vereason of actors Gabrielle Anwar and John Verea
Hugo Wilson Dallas (b. 2016)son of Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas
Victor HugoFrench novelist
Hugo LlorisFrench goalkeeper (Team Captain during France's 2018 World Cup win)

Hugo in Pop Culture

Hugo "Hurley" Reyescharacter on TV's "Lost"
Hugo GrangerWeasley, son of Ron and Hermione in the Harry Potter series
Hugo Cabretcharacter in novel "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" and film "Hugo"
Hugo Stiglitzcharacter in film "Inglourious Basterds"
Hugo Vegacharacter in video game "Dream Daddy"
HugoCharacter in 'The Boy Who Dared'
Hugoa mole,like Mabu from the video game "Skylanders"
Hugo Hortoncharacter on British TV series 'The Vicar of Dibley'
Hugocharacter in Belgian game "OFF"
Hugo Carmodycharacter in books by P. G. Wodehouse
Hugo Weschlerboy who gets slapped in TV series "The Slap"

Hugo Simpsontwin of Bart Simpson in an alternate universe episode of "The Simpsons"
Hurricane Hugo1989 hurricane
Hugodragon character in animated movie "Barbie as Rapunzel"
Hugo Habercorenemesis to Bob and former fiancé of Linda in "Bob's Burgers"
Hugo StrangeDC comics villain and member of batman's rogues gallery
Hugo Argrestethe name given to Marinette and Adrien's son in Marinette's fantasy in Miraculous Tales of Ladybug & Chat Noir
Human Genome Organisation (HUGO)
Hugo (cocktail)aperitif based on prosecco and elderflower syrup
Hugocarnival worker in Lemony Snicket's "A Series Of Unfortunate Events"