Given name & surname
Hu
“having a bright mind”
Hu is a variant of Hugh. One German interpretation is “having a bright mind.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Hu is a variant of Hugh. One German interpretation is “having a bright mind.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Hu is a variant of Hugh. An origin associated with Hugh is Germanic.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Hu as a surname developed from 胡.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1922. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Hu is a variant of Hugh. The history of Hugh gives this family its wider story. Hugh’s historical bearers include members of the aristocracy.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Hu through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5
- 5 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1922
- 5 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1922. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 719 as a first name in 2020; 29,734 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Hu’s family of names
In English usage, Hu as a surname shares an earlier linguistic root with Wu. Hu has a related form in Hugh. In Indonesian usage, Hu as a surname has a related form in Wu.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Hu has relatives in 14 languages.
16 related names in 14 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 17
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Show 9 moreShow fewer
People named Hu
- Hu JunChinese actorborn 1968
- Guan HuChinese film directorborn 1968
- Li Huone of the eight Zhu guo generals of Northern Wei (Warring States period); Tang Taizu Jing huangdi (d. 551)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Hu, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Hubert
“having a shining intellect”
>99% boys
Hughes
“having a bright mind”
>99% boys
Hoyt
“a soulful man”
>99% boys
Horace
“the keeper of time”
>99% boys
Harmon
“a soldier”
91% boys · 9% girls
Hilton
“a wealthy woman” · “from the town on the hill”
85% boys · 15% girls
Homer
“a tomboyish woman” · “of the pledge; an epic poet”
>99% boys
Harden
“from the hare's valley”
>99% boys