boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Hugo

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #378 Trend ↑ Rising 19%

Hugo is a surname and a masculine given name of German origin.

Rank 2025
#378
among boys · ↑26 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
837
named Hugo · +5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,041
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
837 babies
All-time total
37,518
#591 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Hugo popularity over time

37,518 babies have been named Hugo since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 277 277 28 – #263
1890s – 311 311 31 +12% #265
1900s – 251 251 25 -19% #328
1910s – 1,412 1,412 141 +463% #358
1920s – 1,543 1,543 154 +9% #429
1930s – 812 812 81 -47% #499
1940s – 529 529 53 -35% #779
1950s – 794 794 79 +50% #771
1960s – 1,198 1,198 120 +51% #610
1970s – 2,271 2,271 227 +90% #471
1980s 10 3,732 3,742 374 +65% #393
1990s 20 5,611 5,631 563 +50% #377
2000s – 7,324 7,324 732 +30% #365
2010s – 6,787 6,787 679 -7% #416
2020s (to 2025) 6 4,630 4,636 773 +14% #378

Where Hugo is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 863 0.51 #370
2027 885 0.52 #365
2028 905 0.53 #363
2029 922 0.54 #356
2030 937 0.55 #352

Where Hugo is most popular

Boys named Hugo per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.454 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, Washington, and Oregon.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Hugo born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
District of Columbia 30 2.03 +348%
Washington 159 0.972 +114%
Oregon 69 0.909 +100%
Colorado 105 0.814 +79%
California 713 0.780 +72%
Massachusetts 107 0.778 +71%
New Mexico 25 0.759 +67%
Nevada 42 0.737 +62%
Minnesota 88 0.717 +58%
New York 285 0.658 +45%
Arizona 99 0.605 +33%
Texas 522 0.592 +31%
Wisconsin 68 0.574 +26%
Illinois 143 0.560 +23%
Utah 52 0.545 +20%
Virginia 100 0.527 +16%
Maryland 58 0.486 +7%
Kansas 33 0.481 +6%
Oklahoma 42 0.475 +5%
New Jersey 91 0.452 ≈ national
Michigan 85 0.415 -9%
Nebraska 18 0.414 -9%
Connecticut 28 0.414 -9%
North Carolina 104 0.407 -10%
Georgia 96 0.379 -17%
South Carolina 39 0.377 -17%
Missouri 47 0.339 -25%
Iowa 23 0.334 -27%
Pennsylvania 87 0.328 -28%
Idaho 13 0.318 -30%
Tennessee 55 0.305 -33%
Ohio 80 0.302 -34%
Arkansas 19 0.300 -34%
Indiana 47 0.293 -35%
Florida 136 0.287 -37%
Maine 5 0.258 -43%
New Hampshire 5 0.225 -50%
Kentucky 18 0.179 -60%
Alabama 14 0.128 -72%
Louisiana 12 0.117 -74%
Alaska – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Hugo

Hugo is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #378 in 2025 with 837 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 37,518 American babies have been named Hugo. Its peak came in 2025, when 837 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Hugo stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Hugo?

The median living Hugo is about 21 years old; half are between 10 and 35. An estimated 32 thousand people named Hugo are alive in the United States today.

median 21 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Hugo year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 837 #378
2024 – – 799 #404
2023 – – 771 #415
2022 – – 800 #400
2021 – – 714 #437
2020 6 #14,101 709 #421
2019 – – 648 #462
2018 – – 733 #422
2017 – – 750 #416
2016 – – 724 #430
2015 – – 708 #432
2014 – – 695 #436
2013 – – 656 #439
2012 – – 639 #433
2011 – – 618 #439
2010 – – 616 #440
2009 – – 722 #407
2008 – – 779 #388
2007 – – 740 #400
2006 – – 811 #370
2005 – – 796 #371
2004 – – 759 #366
2003 – – 727 #365
2002 – – 715 #368
2001 – – 637 #396
2000 – – 638 #399
1995 – – 528 #432
1990 6 #11,912 552 #416
1985 – – 344 #465
1980 – – 339 #457
1975 – – 241 #516
1970 – – 162 #639
1965 – – 122 #674
1960 – – 96 #778
1955 – – 79 #827
1950 – – 59 #894
1945 – – 63 #779
1940 – – 41 #1,012
1935 – – 75 #699
1930 – – 143 #499
1925 – – 157 #485
1920 – – 161 #479
1915 – – 195 #385
1910 – – 39 #440
1905 – – 16 #603
1900 – – 23 #484
1895 – – 39 #284
1890 – – 43 #265
1885 – – 34 #287
1880 – – 24 #351

Famous people named Hugo

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Hugo Chávez Hugo Chávez President of Venezuela from 1999 to 2013 1954–2013 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Hugo Weaving Hugo Weaving Actor (born 1960) Contemporary
  3. 3 Hugo Sánchez Hugo Sánchez Mexican footballer and manager (born 1958) Contemporary
  4. 4 Hugo Grotius Hugo Grotius Dutch philosopher and jurist (1583–1645) 16th century
  5. 5 Hugo Sperrle Hugo Sperrle German military aviator and general (1885–1953) 19th century
  6. 6 Hugo Banzer Hugo Banzer President of Bolivia (1971–1978; 1997–2001) 1926–2002 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Hugo Gernsback Hugo Gernsback American inventor, writer, editor and publisher (1884–1967) 19th century
  8. 8 Hugo Schmeisser Hugo Schmeisser German firearm designer (1884–1953) 19th century
  9. 9 Hugo Junkers Hugo Junkers German aviation pioneer (1859–1935) 19th century
  10. 10 Hugo von Hofmannsthal Hugo von Hofmannsthal Austrian novelist, librettist, poet, dramatist (1874–1929) 19th century
  11. 11 Hugo Ball Hugo Ball German author and poet (1886–1927) 19th century
  12. 12 Hugo Pratt Hugo Pratt Italian comic book artist (1927–1995) Contemporary
  13. 13 Hugo Gatti Hugo Gatti Argentine footballer (1944–2025) Contemporary
  14. 14 Hugo Simberg Hugo Simberg Finnish painter (1873–1917) 19th century
  15. 15 Hugo Wolf Hugo Wolf Austrian composer (1860–1903) 19th century
  16. 16 Hugo Eckener Hugo Eckener Manager of the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin company 1868–1954 · 19th century
  17. 17 Hugo Boss German businessman (1885–1948) 19th century
  18. 18 Hugo de Vries Hugo de Vries Dutch botanist (1848–1935) 19th century
  19. 19 Hugo van der Goes Hugo van der Goes Flemish painter (c. 1430/1440–1482) Medieval
  20. 20 Hugo Steinhaus Hugo Steinhaus Polish mathematician (1887–1972) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Hugo, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Hugo?

The median living Hugo is about 21 years old. Half of all living Hugos are between 10 and 35 years old.

How many people named Hugo are alive today?

An estimated 32 thousand people named Hugo are alive in the United States, based on 37,518 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Hugo mean?

Hugo is a surname and a masculine given name of German origin.

How popular is the name Hugo in 2025?

Hugo ranked #378 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 837 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Hugo?

37,518 babies have been named Hugo in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Hugo most popular?

Hugo peaked in 2025, when 837 newborns received the name.

Is Hugo a boy or girl name?

Hugo is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Hugo rising or falling?

Hugo is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Hugo become more popular?

Hugo is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 937 boys named Hugo in 2030, which would rank around #352. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Hugo?

Well-known people named Hugo include Hugo Chávez (politician), Hugo Weaving (actor), Hugo Sánchez (coach).

Names like Hugo

Names that sound and feel close to Hugo: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Hugo with similar names → More names starting with H →