| Hugo | Rudolph | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Mind, intellect | famous wolf |
| Origin | Germanic | germanic |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | HYOO-goh | ROO-dolf |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2025 (837) | 1927 (1,690) |
| In 2025 | 837 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Hugo | Rudolph |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 4,630 | 170 |
| 2010s | 6,787 | 392 |
| 2000s | 7,324 | 589 |
| 1990s | 5,611 | 1,054 |
| 1980s | 3,732 | 1,703 |
| 1970s | 2,271 | 2,186 |
| 1960s | 1,198 | 3,535 |
| 1950s | 794 | 6,652 |
| 1940s | 529 | 6,553 |
| 1930s | 812 | 8,200 |
| 1920s | 1,543 | 12,561 |
| 1910s | 1,412 | 6,857 |
| 1900s | 251 | 1,339 |
| 1890s | 311 | 998 |
| 1880s | 277 | 652 |
From the Germanic hug, “mind,” “heart” or “intellect.”
From the Germanic name Hrodwulf, combining 'hrod' ('fame') and 'wulf' ('wolf'), hence 'famous wolf'. The '-olph/-olf' ending preserves the wolf element.
Hugo is more popular than Rudolph today: about 837 US babies were given the name Hugo in 2025, compared with 0 named Rudolph.
Hugo means Mind, intellect (Germanic origin), while Rudolph means famous wolf (germanic origin).
In US records, Hugo first appears in 1880 and Rudolph in 0, so Rudolph has the longer recorded history.