2000
#19,376
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,293
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Hugh
A surname derived from the Brythonic element "hir" meaning long or tall.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,314 Americans carry the last name Hugh. That puts it at #22,950 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 260,848 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hugh surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hugh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.3K
1 in 260,848
Census rank
#22,950
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,146 bearers of the surname Hugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22950th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (20.5%) and Black (20.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hugh
The surname HUGH originated in England during the Middle Ages, derived from the Old French personal name "Hugue" or "Huon," which in turn came from the Germanic name "Hugo." This name was composed of the elements "hug" meaning "heart, mind, or spirit," and "wald" meaning "rule or power."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HUGH can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership and property values commissioned by William the Conqueror. The book lists several individuals with the name, such as Hugh of Grantmesnil and Hugh d'Avranches, who were Norman landowners in England.
During the medieval period, the name HUGH was particularly prevalent in the counties of Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and Yorkshire. It is believed that some early bearers of the name may have taken it from local place names, such as Hugh Town on the Isles of Scilly or Hugh-upon-Stour in Worcestershire.
Notable historical figures with the surname HUGH include Hugh Capet (c. 938-996), who was the first King of France from the Capetian dynasty. Another prominent bearer of the name was Hugh of Lincoln (c. 1246-1255), a young boy whose death was falsely attributed to Jews, leading to increased persecution and the spread of the blood libel myth.
In the 13th century, Hugh of Avalon (c. 1135-1200) was a Carthusian monk who became the Bishop of Lincoln and was later canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church. Around the same time, Hugh of St. Victor (c. 1096-1141) was a renowned philosopher and theologian who made significant contributions to the development of medieval scholasticism.
Another notable figure was Hugh Latimer (c. 1485-1555), who was a leader of the English Reformation and one of the most influential Protestant martyrs. He was eventually burned at the stake for his religious beliefs during the reign of Queen Mary I.
While the surname HUGH has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through British colonization and migration. Over time, various spelling variations have emerged, such as Hughs, Hew, and Hough, but the core meaning and historical significance of the name remain rooted in its English heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Hugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (20.5%) and Black (20.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hugh bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Hugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White44.4% · 509
- Asian and Pacific Islander20.5% · 235
- Black or African American20.4% · 234
- Two or more races9.0% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hugh
Hugh appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#20,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,271
-22 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 1,404 places
2020
#22,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,146
-125 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 2,170 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,376 | 1,293 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,780 | 1,271 | 0.43 | -22 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 1,404 places |
| 2020 | #22,950 | 1,146 | 0.38 | -125 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 2,170 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Hugh surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #20,780 | #22,950 | -10.4% |
| Count | 1,271 | 1,146 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.43 | 0.38 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hugh bearers went from 1,271 to 1,146 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 2,170 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,780 to #22,950.
FAQ
Hugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hugh?
Name Census estimates that about 1,314 living Americans carry the surname Hugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 260,848 residents.
How common is Hugh?
Hugh ranks #22,950 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,146 people with the surname Hugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,314), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hugh.
Has Hugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hugh went from 1,271 recorded bearers to 1,146. That is a decrease of 125 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,780 to #22,950.
What does the Census say about the background of Hugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (20.5%) and Black (20.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.4% (509 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (44.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (20.5%), Black (20.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Hugh (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Hugh mean?
A surname derived from the Brythonic element "hir" meaning long or tall. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Hugh (0.38 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Hugh?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.