Boys' name · since 1880
Hugh
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 83,825 babies named Hugh, peaking in 1916. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #351 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #732 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 83,825
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
83,825 babies have been named Hugh since 1880, making it today's #732 boys' name.
Hugh has 83,825 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #732 as of the latest data, more common than 95% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #351 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #732 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 83,825 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Hugh ranks #351 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #732 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 83,825 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #351 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #732 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 83,825
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Hugh's 83,825 recorded births place it above 99.22% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Hugh compares
83,825 Top 3% higher than 97% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Hugh's all-time total is 227x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Hugh | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 83,825 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,619 | 34 | 22,252 |
Hugh's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Hugh's full recorded timeline at 1953, 32% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 68% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1993, with just 142 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1916 peak of 1,619 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Hugh popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1916)
- 1,619
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Hugh popularity over time - girls
354 total births recorded since 1911 (Hugh as girls' name)
Hugh by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (14,106 births, 17% of the file).
1920s was Hugh's strongest decade.
14,106 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Hugh births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 2,355
1880s
2,355 births
- 1890s 2,405
1890s
2,405 births
- 1900s 2,176
1900s
2,176 births
- 1910s
1910s
10,201 births
- 1920s
1920s
14,106 births
- 1930s
1930s
11,700 births
- 1940s
1940s
10,998 births
- 1950s
1950s
9,697 births
- 1960s
1960s
6,783 births
- 1970s 3,177
1970s
3,177 births
- 1980s 2,075
1980s
2,075 births
- 1990s 1,791
1990s
1,791 births
- 2000s 1,887
2000s
1,887 births
- 2010s 2,479
2010s
2,479 births
- 2020s 1,995
2020s
1,995 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 14,106 births (17% of all-time use).
How Hugh compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Hugh's total volume
Hugh by state
Where Hugh concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 5,704 | 6.8% |
| #2 | Georgia | | 5,277 | 6.3% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 4,325 | 5.2% |
| #4 | Texas | | 4,011 | 4.8% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 3,775 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Tennessee | | 3,724 | 4.4% |
| #7 | California | | 3,685 | 4.4% |
| #8 | Alabama | | 2,818 | 3.4% |
5,704 of 83,825 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Hugh appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Hugh? ▼
Where does Hugh sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Hugh most popular? ▼
Where is Hugh most popular? ▼
How long has the name Hugh been used? ▼
What names are similar to Hugh? ▼
What to do with Hugh's data
- Hugh's decade-level peak was the 1920s (14,106 total births); usage has since declined to 1,995 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Hughs (5,704 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Hugh
Nearby Names Like Hugh
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Hugh
Compare Hugh side by side: Hugh vs Hugo Hugh vs Hughie Hugh vs Hughes
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Hugh
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Hugh: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1916)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Hugh draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.