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Hugh

The name Hugh peaked for girls at #2060 in 1911. Hugh is also used for boys, ranking #732 in 2025.

The name Hugh is a boy's name of German, English, Irish origin meaning "mind, intellect; fiery one".

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Tough yet gentle in look and sound, Hugh was a Top 100 choice in the US back in the late 19th-century and while it's never reached those heights again, it has always managed to remain in the Top 1000 — all bar 2008 that is when it dropped just below. Since then, it has remained familiar but not overused in the US, featuring outside the Top 500. 
 
Used sine at least the 10th-century when it was borne by a French king, it was brought to England by the Normans and became a popular choice in the Medieval period. Generally considered a variation of the Germanic Hugo, with the wise and imaginative meaning of "mind, intellect", it is also used as an Anglicized form of the Gaelic names Aodh ("fiery one") and Ùisdean ("stone island; stone of good fortune") owing to the pronunciations EH, UGH, and OOSH-chan
 
As such, Hugh has always been particularly prevalent among the Irish—there have been 20 Irish Saint Hughs, and it's traditionally associated with the O'Donnell clan. Hugh was an early immigrant to the New World, where there were two Hughs in the first English-speaking settlement in America. Hugh's biggest drawback is its sound, barely more than an exhaled breath. 
 
Actor Hugh Jackman adds a dash of the romantic hero, and other prominent Hughs include Hugh Laurie (born James Hugh), Hugh Grant, and Hugh Dancy. Then there's Hugh Hefner, known to the world as Hef. 
 Hew and Huw are the distinctively—probably too distinctively—spelled Welsh forms.
 A modern alternate option would be the surname Hughes, which would fit in well with Hayes or Wells.

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The name Hugh is currently ranked #732 in U.S. births. and peaked for boys at #69 in 1887. The name is most popular in Montana, District of Columbia, and District of Columbia. Hugh is occasionally used for girls in 1985.

Hewett

Year	US rank	Births	Per million
2014	—	0	0
2015	—	0	0
2016	—	0	0
2017	—	0	0
2018	—	0	0
2019	—	0	0
2020	—	0	0
2021	—	0	0
2022	—	0	0
2023	—	0	0
2024	—	0	0
2025	—	0	0

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