2000
#12,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,199
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Hug
A Swiss-German habitational surname derived from places named Hug or denoting someone living near a hill or mound.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,308 Americans carry the last name Hug. That puts it at #14,300 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,507 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hug 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.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 148,507
Census rank
#14,300
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,013 bearers of the surname Hug in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14300th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hug, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hug
Among Census respondents with the surname Hug, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hug 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 Hug surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 1,844
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 68
- Two or more races2.6% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 33
- Black or African American0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hug
Hug 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
#14,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,089
-110 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 1,495 places
2020
#14,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,013
-76 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,833 | 2,199 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,328 | 2,089 | 0.71 | -110 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 1,495 places |
| 2020 | #14,300 | 2,013 | 0.67 | -76 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 28 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 Hug 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 | #14,328 | #14,300 | 0.2% |
| Count | 2,089 | 2,013 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.67 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hug bearers went from 2,089 to 2,013 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,328 to #14,300.
FAQ
Hug surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hug?
Name Census estimates that about 2,308 living Americans carry the surname Hug. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,507 residents.
How common is Hug?
Hug ranks #14,300 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,013 people with the surname Hug. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,308), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hug.
Has Hug become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hug went from 2,089 recorded bearers to 2,013. That is a decrease of 76 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,328 to #14,300.
What does the Census say about the background of Hug?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hug, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Hug in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (1,844 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hug appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Hug (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 Hug mean?
A Swiss-German habitational surname derived from places named Hug or denoting someone living near a hill or mound. 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 Hug (0.67 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 people share the surname Hug?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.