Boys' name · since 1896

Hughes

Since 1896, U.S. Social Security records show 919 babies named Hughes, peaking in 1916. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#5,426 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#4,260 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
919
born since 1896
1910s
peak decade

919 babies have been named Hughes since 1896, making it today's #4260 boys' name.

Hughes has 919 recorded births among boys since 1896, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4260 as of the latest data, more common than 69% of boys, busiest in the 1910s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1896 to 2025.

  • #5,426 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #4,260 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 919 born since 1896
  • 1910s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Hughes ranks #5,426 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,260 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 919 born since 1896, peaking in the 1910s.

#5,426 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#4,260 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
919
born since 1896
1910s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%69.4%
Hughes vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Hughes's 919 recorded births place it above 88.06% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

5 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

The state file records this name in 5 jurisdictions, led by North Carolina.

How Hughes compares

919 Top 33% higher than 67% 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

Hughes's all-time total is 149% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Hughes Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 919 369 358,536
Peak-year births 61 34 22,252

Hughes's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Hughes's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 43% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 57%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1938, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1916 peak of 61, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Hughes popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1896–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1916)
61
Annual births at peak, across 130 years of records
020406080 189619221933194519581989201120222025 24

Hughes by decade

1910s is the heaviest window (190 births, 21% of the file).

1910s was Hughes's strongest decade.

190 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.

Hughes births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1910s at 190 births (21% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Hughes 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 Hughes's total volume

Hughes vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%10%20%30% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -18, 27.7%-42, 7.6%-144, 5%-51, 5.3%-112, 9.6%-49, 5.3%-109, 3.1%-51, 7.1%-109, 5.7%-56, 4.1%-48, 4.9%-55, 3.9%-53, 7.5%-67, 4.4%-91, 5.4%Hughes-130, 6.6%Hughes
Hughes vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Hughes by state

Where Hughes concentrates geographically, total births since 1896

Geographically diffuse
Top 5 states by recorded births for the name Hughes
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 North Carolina
24 2.6%
#2 Georgia
10 1.1%
#3 Kentucky
7 0.8%
#4 Arkansas
5 0.5%
#5 Virginia
5 0.5%
North Carolina share of Hughes's total US births 2.6%
Even split

24 of 919 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 5 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Hughes? ▼
Since 1896, Social Security records show 919 babies named Hughes. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #5,426 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #4,260 of 13,930 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1916, with 61 births.
Where does Hughes sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Hughes ranks #5,426 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,260 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Hughes most popular? ▼
Hughes was most popular in the 1910s decade with 190 total births. The single peak year was 1916.
Where is Hughes most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Hughes are North Carolina (24 births), Georgia (10 births), Kentucky (7 births).
How long has the name Hughes been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Hughes since 1896 -- 130 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Hughes? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Hugh, Hugo, Hughie, Hughey, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Hughes's data

  • Hughes's usage has stayed within range of its 1910s decade-level peak (190 total births) through the 2020s (119) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • North Carolina records the most Hughess (24 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Hughes

Nearby Names Like Hughes

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Hughes

Hugh Boy
#732 83,825 births
Hugo Boy
#378 37,482 births
Hughie Boy
#9743 1,676 births
Hughey Boy
405 births
Hughston Boy
87 births

Compare Hughes side by side: Hughes vs Hugh Hughes vs Hugo Hughes vs Hughie

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Hughes

Roosevelt #4259
37,661 births · Peak 1933
Enrico #4261
4,767 births · Peak 1921
Denny #4258
15,417 births · Peak 1947
Amador #4262
3,372 births · Peak 1992
Harlin #4257
1,879 births · Peak 1924
Erling #4263
1,402 births · Peak 2023
Hazel #4256
2,889 births · Peak 1916
Carsten #4264
2,367 births · Peak 2011

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Hughes: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1896–2025 (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 Hughes 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.