Hugh

A male given name: from a Germanic word meaning “heart, mind.”.

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Hugh is the English-language variant of the masculine given name Hugues, itself the Old French variant of Hugo, a short form of Continental Germanic given names beginning in the element hug- "mind, spirit" (Old English hyġe).
The Germanic name is on record beginning in the 8th century, in variants Chugo, Hugo, Huc, Ucho, Ugu, Uogo, Ogo, Ougo, etc. The name's popularity in the Middle Ages ultimately derives from its use by Frankish nobility, beginning with Duke of the Franks and Count of Paris Hugh the Great (898–956) . The Old French form was adopted into English from the Norman period (e.g. Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury d. 1098; Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester, d. 1101).
The spelling Hugh in English is from the Picard variant spelling Hughes, where the orthography -gh- takes the role of -gu- in standard French, i.e. to express the phoneme /g/ as opposed to the affricate /ʒ/ taken by the grapheme g before front vowels. The modern English pronunciation /hju:/ is influenced by the Norman variant form Hue (/hy:/, /y:/), now only a surname, mainly from Normandy.
The Old High German name Hugo was adopted as third declension nominative into Middle Latin (Hugo, Hugonis); in English, however, historical figures of the continental Middle Ages are conventionally given the name in its modern English spelling, as in Hugh Capet (941–996), Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), Hugh of Cluny (1024–1109), Hugh of Châteauneuf (1053–1132), etc.
Modern variants of the name include German Hugo, Dutch Huig, Frisian Hauke, Welsh Huw, Italian Ugo.
In the tradition of anglicisation of Gaelic names by using similar-sounding, but etymologically unrelated replacements, Hugh also serves as a replacement for Aodh and Ùisdean (see Hughes).

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Masc. proper name, from Old North French Hugues, Old French Hue, from a Frankish name meaning "heart, mind," cognate with Old High German Hugi, related to hugu "mind, soul, thought." Very popular after the Conquest (often in Latin form Hugo); the common form was Howe, the nickname form Hudd. Its popularity is attested by the more than 90 modern surnames formed from it, including Hughes, Howe, Hudson, Hewitt, Hutchins.

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From hug: bright in mind and spirit.

Ugo, Hauke, Hugo, Huw, Howell, Hugues

Popularity	Name	Birth Year	Description
1	Hugh Jackman	1968	Australian actor and producer
2	Hugh Glass	1783	American fur trapper and frontiersman
3	Hugh Hefner	1926	American magazine publisher
4	Hugh Laurie	1959	British actor, comedian, writer, musician and director
5	Hugh Dancy	1975	English actor and model
6	Hugh Keays-Byrne	1947	British India actor
7	Hugh Bonneville	1963	English actor
8	Hugh of Saint-Cher	1200	Catholic cardinal
9	Hugh O'Brian	1925	American actor and United States Marine
10	Hugh O'Connor	1962	American actor
11	Hugh Freeze	1969	American football coach
12	Hugh Dennis	1962	Comedian
13	Hugh Beaumont	1909	Actor
14	Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster	1991	British aristocrat, billionaire, businessman and landowner
15	Hugh Hewitt	1956	American journalist
16	Hugh Capet of France	0940	King of the Franks
17	Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall	1965	British chef
18	Hugh Dillon	1963	Canadian actor and singer
19	Hugh Downs	1921	American broadcaster
20	Hugh Masekela	1939	South African trumpeter
21	Hugh Griffith	1912	Welsh actor
22	Hugh Despenser the Younger	1287	Knight of Hanley Castle, Worcestershire; King's Chamberlain; constable and keeper of various castles and lands in England and Wales; and favourite of Edward I
23	Hugh Cornwell	1949	English musician and songwriter, member of The Stranglers
24	Hugh Marlowe	1911	American actor
25	Hugh Brannum	1910	American actor
26	Hugh Gibb	1916	British musician
27	Hugh Howey	1975	American fiction writer
28	Hugh Gaitskell	1906	British politician
29	Hugh Grant	1958	Scottish business executive
30	Hugh Quarshie	1954	Actor
31	Hugh D. Auchincloss	1897	American lawyer
32	Hugh Skinner	1985	British actor
33	Hugh Trevor-Roper	1914	British historian
34	Hugh Herr	1964	American rock climber
35	Hugh Everett III	1930	American physicist, author of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics
36	Hugh Thompson Jr.	1943	United States helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War
37	Hugh van Cutsem	1941	English landowner, banker, businessman and horse-breeder
38	Hugh the Great	0898	Duke of the Franks, Count of Paris and ancestor of the Capetian dynasty
39	Hugh Hudson	1936	British film director
40	Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster	1825	Duke of Westminster
41	Hugh Carey	1919	American politician
42	Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster	1879	Duke of Westminster
43	Hugh Latimer	1485	British bishop
44	Hugh O'Flaherty	1898	Irish priest
45	Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding	1882	British officer in the Royal Air Force
46	Hugh Sheridan	1985	Australian actor
47	Hugh Shelton	1942	Recipient of the Purple Heart medal
48	Hugh Walpole	1884	New Zealand writer
49	Hugh Douglas	1971	Player of American football
50	Hugh Mercer	1726	American general
51	Hugh Scully	1943	British television presenter
52	Hugh O'Conor	1975	Actor, director, writer
53	Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard	1873	Royal Flying Corps commander and first Royal Air Force Chief of the Air Staff
54	Hugh Padgham	1955	English record producer
55	Hugh Carter	1920	American politician and businessman
56	Hugh Williams	1904	Actor
57	Hugh de Neville		Sheriff
58	Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone	1540	Irish earl
59	Hugh Mitchell	1989	British actor
60	Hugh MacDiarmid	1892	Scottish poet, pen name of Christopher Murray Grieve
61	Hugh Paddick	1915	Comedy actor
62	Hugh Wilson	1943	American director, writer and actor
63	Hugh Acheson	1971	Television chef
64	Hugh Sachs		British actor
65	Hugh Scott	1900	American politician
66	Hugh of Saint Victor	1096	German-French canon regular and theologian
67	Hugh Nibley	1910	Religious scholar
68	Hugh McCracken	1942	American session musician
69	Hugh Cholmondeley, 3rd Baron Delamere	1870	British Baron
70	Hugh MacLennan	1907	Canadian writer
71	Hugh Cholmondeley, 6th Marquess of Cholmondeley	1919	British noble
72	Hugh Herbert	1887	Comedian, film actor
73	Hugh Lofting	1886	British author, trained as a civil engineer
74	Hugh Evans	1983	Australian humanitarian
75	Hugh Dalton	1887	Welsh politician and British MP
76	Hugh Lloyd	1923	British actor
77	Hugh McColl	1935	American businessman
78	Hugh Panaro	1964	American actor
79	Hugh Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland	1914	British Duke
80	Hugh Brody	1943	British anthropologist
81	Hugh Judson Kilpatrick	1836	Union United States Army general, politician
82	Hugh Green	1959	All-American college football player, professional football player, linebacker, College Football Hall of Fame member
83	Hugh FitzRoy, 11th Duke of Grafton	1919	British duke
84	Hugh McElhenny	1928	American football player
85	Hugh of Lincoln	1140	Bishop of Lincoln; Saint
86	Hugh X of Lusignan	1185	French noble
87	Hugh Martin	1914	American musical theater and film composer
88	Hugh Shearer	1923	Prime Minister of Jamaica
89	Hugh Culverhouse	1919	American football executive
90	Hugh Pym	1959	British writer
91	Hugh Reilly	1915	American actor
92	Hugh Beadle	1905
93	Hugh de Cressingham	1300	Treasurer of the English administration in Scotland from 1296 to 1297
94	Hugh Duffy	1866	Baseball player and manager
95	Hugh Cruttwell	1918	English theatre director, creative consultant
96	Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath	1135
97	Hugh David Politzer	1949	American physicist
98	Hugh Courtenay, 18th Earl of Devon	1942	English noble
99	Hugh Sebag-Montefiore	1955	British writer
100	Hugh Millen	1963	American football player
101	Hugh McDowell	1953	British musician
102	Hugh Whitaker	1961	British drummer
103	Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland	1715	English peer, landowner, and art patron
104	Hugh Roe O'Donnell	1572	King of Dun na nGall
105	Hugh Dane		American actor
106	Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester	1261
107	Hugh Hopper	1945	English bass guitarist
108	Hugh Campbell	1941	American and Canadian football player and coach
109	Hugh B. Brown	1883	American Mormon leader
110	Hugh Williamson	1735	American politician
111	Hugh Syme		Canadian graphic designer
112	Hugh Simon		British actor
113	Hugh Davidson		American actor
114	Hugh Fraser	1918	Politician
115	Hugh Mundell	1962	Jamaican musician
116	Hugh E. Rodham	1911	Father of Hillary Rodham Clinton
117	Hugh Greene	1910	British television executive
118	Hugh Samuel Johnson	1881	American administrator
119	Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland	1742	British Army general
120	Hugh III of Cyprus	1235	King of Cyprus
121	Hugh Jones		Fictional character in Marvel Comics
122	Hugh Grundy	1945	Drummer
123	Hugh Wheeler	1912	British screenwriter (1912-1987)
124	Hugh Dallas	1957	Scottish football referee
125	Hugh Parker Guiler	1898	American filmmaker
126	Hugh McIlvanney	1934	British sportswriter
127	Hugh McCulloch	1808	American politician
128	Hugh de Kevelioc, 5th Earl of Chester	1147	English noble, born in Wales
129	Hugh Lawson White	1773	American politician
130	Hugh Beaver	1890	British engineer and businessman
131	Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough	1779	British field marshal
132	Hugh Ferriss	1889	American architect
133	Hugh Coltman	1972	British singer
134	Hugh Thomas	1931	British historian
135	Hugh Riminton	1961	New Zealand journalist
136	Grayson Hugh	1950	American musician
137	Hugh McCutcheon	1969	American volleyball player-coach
138	Hugh Doherty		Irish republican
139	Hugh Burden	1913	British actor
140	Hugh Prather	1938	American writer
141	Hugh W. Sloan, Jr.	1940	American political advisor
142	Hugh Jessiman	1984	American ice hockey player
143	Hugh Roy Cullen	1881	American industrialist and philanthropist
144	Hugh Segal	1950	Canadian politician
145	Hugh Childers	1827	British politician
146	Hugh Porter	1940	English racing cyclist and cycling journalist
147	Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale	1857	British nobleman and sportsman
148	Hugh Aynesworth	1931	American journalist
149	Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk	1182	3rd Earl of Norfolk
150	Hugh of Tours	0800	French noble
151	Hugh Johnson	2000	Irish cinematographer and film director
152	Hugh of Italy	0880	Italian monarch
153	Hugh Miller	1802	British geologist
154	Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk	1095	English nobleman
155	Hugh "Skip" McGee III	1959	American banker
156	Hugh Coveney	1935	Irish politician
157	Hugh Hendry	1969	British businessman
158	Hugh Sidey	1927	American journalist
159	Hugh Alexander Pollock	1888	British editor
160	Hugh III, Duke of Burgundy	1148	Duke of Burgundy
161	Hugh Thornton	1991	American footballer
162	Hugh Owen Thomas	1834	Welsh surgeon
163	Hugh Montefiore	1920	British bishop
164	Hugh Trumble	1867	Australian cricketer
165	Hugh de Morville, Lord of Westmorland		Anglo-Norman knight and assassin of Thomas Becket
166	Hugh Latimer Dryden	1898	American aeronautical scientist and civil servant
167	Hugh Carthy	1994	British racing cyclist
168	Hugh Sanders	1911	American actor
169	Hugh John Macdonald	1850	Canadian politician
170	Hugh Durham	1937	American college basketball coach
171	Hugh Ambrose	1966	American historian
172	Hugh Blair	1718	British philosopher
173	Hugh Clifford	1866	British colonial administrator
174	Hugh Cavendish, Baron Cavendish of Furness	1941	British politician
175	Hugh Leonard	1926	Irish writer
176	Hugh N. Kennedy	1947	British historian
177	Hugh Magnus MacLeod of MacLeod	1973	Scottish clan chief
178	Hugh Cairns	1896	British neurosurgeon
179	Hugh Whitemore	1936	English playwright and screenwriter
180	Hugh Robertson	1962	British politician
181	Hugh Kenner	1923	Canadian academic
182	Hugh Willoughby	1500	English polar explorer
183	Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy	1213	Duke of Burgundy
184	Hugh Orde	1958	Police officer
185	Hugh L. White	1881	American politician
186	Hugh Casson	1910	Architect, designer, artist, writer and broadcaster
187	Hugh L. Scott	1853	7th Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1914-1917)
188	Hugh McDonald	1954	Australian singer
189	Hugh Devore	1910	American football player and coach
190	Hugh Cholmondeley, 5th Baron Delamere	1934	British Baron
191	Hugh Schofield	1961	Television journalist
192	Hugh Ross	1945
193	Hugh de Stafford, 2nd Earl of Stafford	1336	English earl
194	Hugh Lowther, 8th Earl of Lonsdale	1949	British noble
195	Hugh Le Caine	1914	Canadian composer and physicist
196	Hugh IV of Cyprus	1294	King of Cyprus
197	Hugh VIII of Lusignan	1106	French noble
198	Hugh Foot, Baron Caradon	1907	British diplomat
199	Hugh Franklin	1916	American actor
200	Hugh McDermott	1908	British actor