Hugh m
English: of Germanic origin, brought to Britain by the Normans. It is derived from the element hug heart, mind, spirit. Originally, the name was a short form of various compound names containing this element. Little Hugh of Lincoln was a child supposed in the Middle Ages to have been murdered by Jews in about 1255, a legend responsible for several outbursts of anti-Semitism at various times. The story is referred to by Chaucer in The Prioress's Tale. He is not to be confused with St Hugh of Lincoln (1140–1200), bishop of Lincoln (1186–1200), who was noted for his charity and good works, his piety, and his defence of the Church against the State.
In Scotland and Ireland this has been used as an Anglicized form of the Gaelic names AODH (SEE Aodh), ÙISDEAN (SEE Ùisdean), and sometimes EÓGHAN (SEE Eóghan).
Variant: Hugo (Latinized; also used in Dutch and German).
Feminine form: Scottish: Hughina.
First names dictionary. 2012.