2000
#10,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,922
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Hugo
A Germanic surname derived from the Old High German word "hugu," meaning "mind, heart, or spirit."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,273 Americans carry the last name Hugo. That puts it at #10,695 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,722 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hugo 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 Hugo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,722
Census rank
#10,695
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,854 bearers of the surname Hugo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10695th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hugo, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hugo
The surname HUGO has its origins in the Germanic personal name "Hugo", derived from the Old German word "hug" meaning "heart, mind, or soul". This name was brought to England by the Normans after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname HUGO can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Hugo" and "Hugun". This suggests that the name was already in use in England by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the HUGO surname was primarily found in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire in southern England. The name was also present in parts of northern France, particularly in the region of Normandy.
In the 13th century, records show a Robert Hugo, a landowner in Oxfordshire, England. Another notable bearer of the HUGO surname was John Hugo, a member of the English Parliament in the 15th century.
One of the most famous individuals with the HUGO surname was Victor Hugo (1802-1885), the renowned French novelist, poet, and playwright. His works, such as "Les Misérables" and "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame", have become literary classics.
In the 16th century, the HUGO surname was found in various spellings, including "Hughe", "Hugon", and "Huggon". This variation in spelling was common during this period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
Another notable figure with the HUGO surname was Franciscus Hugo (1637-1701), a Dutch jurist and philosopher. He made significant contributions to the development of natural law theory and was a prominent figure in the Dutch Golden Age.
The 17th century saw the emergence of the HUGO surname in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances was Richard Hugo, who settled in Virginia in 1635.
By the 18th century, the HUGO surname had spread across Europe and the Americas. One notable bearer was Joseph Hugo (1700-1768), a French architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Paris.
Throughout history, the HUGO surname has been associated with individuals from various fields, including literature, law, architecture, and politics. Its origins can be traced back to the Old German word "hug", reflecting the name's connection to the concepts of heart, mind, and soul.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hugo
Among Census respondents with the surname Hugo, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hugo 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 Hugo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.6% · 1,901
- Hispanic or Latino13.4% · 382
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.7% · 304
- Two or more races6.0% · 170
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 73
- Black or African American0.8% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hugo
Hugo 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
#10,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,020
+98 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 464 places
2020
#10,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,854
-166 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 92 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,139 | 2,922 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,603 | 3,020 | 1.02 | +98 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 464 places |
| 2020 | #10,695 | 2,854 | 0.95 | -166 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 92 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 Hugo 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 | #10,603 | #10,695 | -0.9% |
| Count | 3,020 | 2,854 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.95 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hugo bearers went from 3,020 to 2,854 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 92 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,603 to #10,695.
FAQ
Hugo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hugo?
Name Census estimates that about 3,273 living Americans carry the surname Hugo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,722 residents.
How common is Hugo?
Hugo ranks #10,695 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,854 people with the surname Hugo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,273), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Hugo.
Has Hugo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hugo went from 3,020 recorded bearers to 2,854. That is a decrease of 166 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,603 to #10,695.
What does the Census say about the background of Hugo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hugo, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.7%). 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 Hugo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.6% (1,901 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hugo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.6%), Hispanic (13.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.7%). 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 Hugo (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 Hugo mean?
A Germanic surname derived from the Old High German word "hugu," meaning "mind, heart, or spirit." 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 Hugo (0.95 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 are called Hugo?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Hugo at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.