Thirty years of Hugo
Hugo in numbers
Hugo has risen from 144 boys in 1996 to 1,094 in 2025, though it is below its peak of 1,329 in 2019. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2011 and 2014, from 448 to 956. It ranked 216th in 1996, reached 45th in 2021 and ranks 46th now. On average it was given to 168 boys a year in the late 1990s, 246 in the 2000s, 967 in the 2010s and 1,179 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year+0%1,094 to 1,094
- 5 years-9%1,196 to 1,094
- 10 years-5%1,153 to 1,094
- 20 years+341%248 to 1,094
- Since 1996×8144 to 1,094
- Total, 1996 to 202519,873boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 46 · ONS · 1,094 in 2024
Rank 114 · NRS · 36 in 2024
Rank 48 · NISRA · 29 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 46 | 1,094 | +0% | 1 in 275 |
| 2024 | 46 | 1,094 | -7% | 1 in 279 |
| 2023 | 48 | 1,174 | -2% | 1 in 258 |
| 2022 | 47 | 1,193 | -10% | 1 in 260 |
| 2021 | 45 | 1,325 | +11% | 1 in 242 |
| 2020 | 51 | 1,196 | -10% | 1 in 263 |
| 2019 | 48 | 1,329 | +4% | 1 in 248 |
| 2018 | 53 | 1,279 | -2% | 1 in 264 |
| 2017 | 48 | 1,311 | +6% | 1 in 266 |
| 2016 * | 50 | 1,234 | +7% | 1 in 289 |
| 2015 | 55 | 1,153 | +21% | 1 in 311 |
| 2014 | 70 | 956 | +14% | 1 in 373 |
| 2013 | 74 | 842 | +16% | 1 in 426 |
| 2012 | 88 | 724 | +62% | 1 in 517 |
| 2011 | 139 | 448 | +14% | 1 in 828 |
| 2010 | 149 | 394 | +16% | 1 in 941 |
| 2009 | 164 | 339 | +8% | 1 in 1,068 |
| 2008 | 164 | 314 | +15% | 1 in 1,156 |
| 2007 | 179 | 274 | -1% | 1 in 1,294 |
| 2006 | 171 | 276 | +11% | 1 in 1,241 |
| 2005 | =179 | 248 | +4% | 1 in 1,333 |
| 2004 | 173 | 238 | +8% | 1 in 1,380 |
| 2003 | 175 | 221 | +8% | 1 in 1,441 |
| 2002 | =177 | 205 | +15% | 1 in 1,493 |
| 2001 | 190 | 179 | +11% | 1 in 1,702 |
| 2000 | =201 | 161 | -18% | 1 in 1,923 |
| 1999 | =173 | 196 | +8% | 1 in 1,629 |
| 1998 | =185 | 181 | +20% | 1 in 1,801 |
| 1997 | =213 | 151 | +5% | 1 in 2,183 |
| 1996 | =216 | 144 | 1 in 2,316 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Hugo
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Hugo is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate
Hugo is in our lists: Short baby names.