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Hugo

Latinized form of Hugh
"mind, intellect"
Brynn McKeon
By Brynn McKeon
Updated Wed Apr 23 2025

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

# 25 on Nameberry

Hugo Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Hugo

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 Chavez
    late President of Venezuela
  • Hugo Boss
    German fashion designer
  • Hugo Weaving
    Australian actor
  • Hugo Wolf
    Austrian composer
  • Hugo Theorell
    winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
  • Hugo Pierre Leclercq aka Madeon
    a French electronic music producer
  • 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 Verea
    son of actors Gabrielle Anwar and John Verea
  • Hugo Wilson Dallas (b. 2016)
    son of Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas
  • Victor Hugo
    French novelist
  • Hugo Lloris
    French goalkeeper (Team Captain during France's 2018 World Cup win)

The name Hugo in Pop Culture

  • Hugo "Hurley" Reyes
    character on TV's "Lost"
  • Hugo Granger
    Weasley, son of Ron and Hermione in the Harry Potter series
  • Hugo Cabret
    character in novel "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" and film "Hugo"
  • Hugo Stiglitz
    character in film "Inglourious Basterds"
  • Hugo Vega
    character in video game "Dream Daddy"
  • Hugo
    Character in 'The Boy Who Dared'
  • Hugo
    a mole,like Mabu from the video game "Skylanders"
  • Hugo Horton
    character on British TV series 'The Vicar of Dibley'
  • Hugo
    character in Belgian game "OFF"
  • Hugo Carmody
    character in books by P. G. Wodehouse
  • Hugo Weschler
    boy who gets slapped in TV series "The Slap"
  • Hugo Simpson
    twin of Bart Simpson in an alternate universe episode of "The Simpsons"
  • Hurricane Hugo
    1989 hurricane
  • Hugo
    dragon character in animated movie "Barbie as Rapunzel"
  • Hugo Habercore
    nemesis to Bob and former fiancé of Linda in "Bob's Burgers"
  • Hugo Strange
    DC comics villain and member of batman's rogues gallery
  • Hugo Argreste
    the name given to Marinette and Adrien's son in Marinette's fantasy in Miraculous Tales of Ladybug & Chat Noir
  • Hugo (cocktail)
    aperitif based on prosecco and elderflower syrup
  • Hugo
    carnival worker in Lemony Snicket's "A Series Of Unfortunate Events"

International Variations of the name Hugo

  • Ugo
    Italian
  • Ugo
    Italian
  • Ugecria
    Spanish
  • Ugo
    Spanish
  • Ugolino
    Spanish
  • Ugone
    Spanish

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