Hugh
Say it: HYOO/hjuː/
BoyMeans mind or spirit4 letters1 syllable
#179
in Ireland (2025)
#178 with spellings combined
27
babies in 2025
#53
best rank (1964)
4,077
babies since 1964
Down 68
10-year rank change
Hugh through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 27 | #178 |
| 2024 | 31 | #158 |
| 2023 | 37 | #146 |
| 2022 | 44 | #135 |
| 2021 | 48 | #135 |
| 2020 | 50 | #125 |
| 2019 | 36 | #163 |
| 2018 | 45 | #136 |
| 2017 | 54 | #117 |
| 2016 | 57 | #119 |
| 2015 | 65 | #110 |
| 2014 | 71 | #106 |
| 2013 | 73 | #98 |
| 2012 | 63 | #112 |
| 2011 | 79 | #99 |
| 2010 | 60 | #126 |
| 2009 | 82 | #92 |
| 2008 | 76 | #100 |
| 2007 | 65 | #111 |
| 2006 | 60 | #104 |
| 2005 | 62 | #99 |
| 2004 | 66 | #91 |
| 2003 | 54 | #102 |
| 2002 | 48 | #105 |
| 2001 | 35 | #127 |
| 2000 | 45 | #105 |
| 1999 | 44 | #105 |
| 1998 | 40 | #106 |
| 1997 | 51 | #97 |
| 1996 | 55 | #102 |
| 1995 | 61 | #89 |
| 1994 | 54 | #99 |
| 1993 | 54 | #102 |
| 1992 | 59 | #97 |
| 1991 | 64 | #91 |
| 1990 | 52 | #100 |
| 1989 | 58 | #91 |
| 1988 | 59 | #89 |
| 1987 | 62 | #94 |
| 1986 | 65 | #90 |
| 1985 | 64 | #90 |
| 1984 | 66 | #87 |
| 1983 | 66 | #90 |
| 1982 | 64 | #95 |
| 1981 | 82 | #83 |
| 1980 | 85 | #81 |
| 1979 | 88 | #84 |
| 1978 | 73 | #91 |
| 1977 | 70 | #95 |
| 1976 | 76 | #91 |
| 1975 | 68 | #94 |
| 1974 | 88 | #80 |
| 1973 | 96 | #81 |
| 1972 | 98 | #78 |
| 1971 | 92 | #78 |
| 1970 | 93 | #75 |
| 1969 | 87 | #73 |
| 1968 | 81 | #71 |
| 1967 | 104 | #56 |
| 1966 | 95 | #62 |
| 1965 | 118 | #53 |
| 1964 | 112 | #53 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Hugh mean?
Mind or spirit
Old French Hugues, from a short form of Germanic names beginning with hug- (mind, heart).
Say it right
HYOO
The story of Hugh
Hugh came to England with the Normans. It is the English version of the French Hugues, a short form of old Germanic names that began with hug-, meaning mind or spirit. In medieval England it was helped along by Saint Hugh, bishop of Lincoln.
In Ireland and Scotland, Hugh was long used as the English stand-in for the Gaelic Aodh, an old name meaning fire, even though the two are not related. The best-known example is Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, known in Irish as Aodh Mór Ó Néill, who led the Irish side in the Nine Years’ War and left Ireland in the Flight of the Earls in 1607.
Hugh has been given steadily throughout the CSO records. It was at its height in the mid-1960s, with 118 boys in 1965 and a rank of number 53 in 1964 and 1965. In 2023 it was number 146 in Ireland. In Northern Ireland it reached number 126 in 2023, its best place there.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Hugh (English proper noun)
- Wiktionary: Aodh (Irish proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Hugh
- Wikipedia: Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Nicknames
Hughie
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Hugh | 27 | 4,077 |
In Northern Ireland
#159 in 2025 with 14 babies. Best rank #126 (2023); 329 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.