Hugo: meaning and UK use

What does Hugo mean?

Hugo belongs to the Hugh name family and is used across several languages. This page records the derivation without asserting an unreviewed literal translation.

Language or name family covered

Germanic name family

Meaning or derivation

An old German form of Hugh

Our browsing group

boy; classic, international

Browsing groups describe our editorial shortlist, not rules about who may use a name. A name can cross languages and genders.

Sources for this entry — reviewed 2026-10-07:

• Behind the Name — Hugo

Pronunciation and related forms

HYOO-goh (English)

English respellings are approximate; IPA is labelled where used. Follow the pronunciation a person or family chooses, and check it with a speaker of the intended language if that connection matters to you.

Related forms recorded in the reference: Hugh. These may be full forms, diminutives or forms in another language; they are not necessarily pronounced alike or counted together in statistics.

How popular is Hugo?

In 2025, 1,094 baby boys in England and Wales were registered as Hugo, making it the 46th most popular boys’ name. That is the same position as in 2024. It has held a similar position for a decade (55th in 2015). Its best year in the ONS series was 2021, at 45th. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (boys)

46th

2025 registrations

1,094

Best rank in this series

45th (2021)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Hugo: rank and number of baby boys by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	46	1,094
2024	46	1,094
2023	48	1,174
2022	47	1,193
2021	45	1,325
2020	51	1,196
2019	48	1,329
2018	53	1,279
2017	48	1,311
2016	50	1,234
2015	55	1,153
2014	70	956
2013	74	842
2012	88	724
2011	139	448
2010	149	394
2009	164	339
2008	164	314
2007	179	274
2006	171	276
2005	179	248
2004	173	238
2003	175	221
2002	177	205
2001	190	179
2000	201	161
1999	173	196
1998	185	181
1997	213	151
1996	216	144

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 boys series is 19,873. This is a lower bound where years are suppressed, not the number of living people with the name. A best rank is the best position within this series; it does not establish an all-time record.

Sources: ONS release, 2025; girls' dataset; boys' dataset. Our 20 top-ten positions were checked against Table 1 in the 2025 workbooks. The history chart and spelling comparisons come from the separate ONS 1996–2025 workbook, checked 7 October 2026. Spelling variants are separate entries. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate statistics.

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Names to compare with Hugo

These suggestions share a browsing group and one or more of our style tags or source-context labels. They are taste comparisons, not etymological relatives or a popularity ranking.

• Arjuninternational, classic · A modern form of Arjuna
• Eliasinternational, classic · A form of Elijah
• Henryclassic · Home ruler
• Kofiinternational, classic · Born on Friday
• Kwameinternational, classic · Born on Saturday
• Muhammadclassic, international · Praised or commendable

Read the UK naming guide for the difference between inspiration lists and official statistics, or return to the full name finder.

Registering or changing the name

Once you decide on Hugo, confirm the registration process for your UK nation with the register office. If you later want to change a registered name, the route depends on the circumstances and may require consent from people with parental responsibility.

Start with GOV.UK birth registration or GOV.UK guidance on changing a child’s name. Our registration guide and child name-change guide explain where to find the relevant official process.