Find out how popular the last name Hug is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hug.

Hug, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hug surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hug in America

Hug is the 14328th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hug surname appeared 2,089 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hug.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hug to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hug

The surname Hug originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in Switzerland and Germany. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "huc," which means "hump" or "hunch." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone with a hunched or stooped posture.

In the early medieval period, surnames were not yet common, and people were typically identified by their given names, occupations, or physical characteristics. As the practice of using hereditary surnames became more widespread in the 12th and 13th centuries, names like Hug began to be adopted as family names.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hug can be found in the Swiss city of Zurich, where a person named Hug von Rümlang was mentioned in a document from 1295. This suggests that the name had already been established as a surname in that region by the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Hug, Hugg, and Huge, in records from different parts of Switzerland and southern Germany. For example, a man named Hug Müller was recorded in Basel, Switzerland, in 1357.

As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations and adaptations to local languages. In England, for instance, the name was sometimes anglicized as "Hugh" or "Hughe," as evidenced by the presence of individuals like William Hughe, who was born in Gloucestershire around 1520.

Notable individuals with the surname Hug throughout history include:

1. Johann Leonhard Hug (1765-1846), a Swiss Catholic theologian and professor at the University of Freiburg.
2. Gottfried Hug (1853-1909), a Swiss botanist and plant collector who made significant contributions to the study of alpine flora.
3. Théodore Hug (1853-1932), a Swiss painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
4. Carl Hug (1860-1937), a Swiss architect who designed several notable buildings in Zurich and Basel.
5. Lole Hug (1897-1978), a Swiss painter and printmaker associated with the Expressionist movement.

While the surname Hug is most commonly found in Switzerland, Germany, and other German-speaking regions, it has also been carried by individuals and families across various parts of Europe and beyond over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hug

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hug.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hug was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hug has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hug was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hug, please contact us.

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