Hugo is small and sturdy, from the Germanic hug, meaning mind, spirit, or thought. Carried across Europe by Frankish nobles, it settled into France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Scandinavia with equal ease. Victor Hugo shaped nineteenth-century literature; the boy in Scorsese's 2011 film lent it wide-eyed wonder; Hugo Boss and Hugo awards gave it a modern polish. Ranked 403 in the U.S., it has surged as part of the wider revival of short European boys' names beside Otto and Milo. Two syllables, a warm H opening onto a long round O. Intellectual, stylish, cheerful without being showy.
Popularity
1880 to today
US SSA data. Lower rank number means more popular. A flat line at the top of the chart means the name did not rank in the top 1000.
Nicknames
No common nicknames.
Famous people
None notable in our records yet.
In fiction
No fictional associations tracked.
Sibling name ideas
- Sergio
- Pedro
- Winston
- Pablo
- Forrest
Similar energy
- Sergio
- Pedro
- Winston
- Pablo
- Forrest
You might also love
Names like Hugo
Sergio
Falling· boy
Italian/Spanish form of Roman family name Sergius
Pedro
Steady· boy
Spanish/Portuguese form of Peter, from Greek petros, 'stone'
Winston
Steady· boy
Old English Wynnstan, 'joy stone' or 'friend's stone'
Pablo
Falling· boy
Spanish form of Paul, from Latin Paulus, 'small, humble'
Forrest
Rising· boy
Old French forest, a wooded royal hunting ground