# Hughes (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/hughes/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A Welsh and English surname originating as a patronymic derived from the given name Hugh.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 236,271 |
| US rank (2010) | 90 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 1,307 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.0% (229,390 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /hjuːz/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Who carries it

Share of people named Hughes in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 78% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 16% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.5% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 2.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Hughes in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, France and the Kingdom of Great Britain.

## People named Hughes

- Langston Hughes, American writer and social activist (1901–1967)
- Howard Hughes, American aviator, engineer, industrialist, and film producer (1905–1976)
- Billy Hughes, Australian politician (1862–1952), 7th Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923
- Charles Evans Hughes, American jurist; Chief Justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941 (1862–1948)
- John Hughes, American filmmaker (1950–2009)
- Chris Hughes, American entrepreneur
- Glenn Hughes, British bassist and singer
- Phillip Hughes, Australian cricketer (1988-2014)
- Sarah Hughes, American figure skater
- Robert Hughes, Australian critic, historian, and writer (1938–2012)
- Matt Hughes, American mixed martial arts fighter
- Larry Hughes, American basketball player (born 1979)

and 59 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Hawkes, Hickok, Hakes, Hajek, Heacock, Hickox, Hasegawa, Higashi, Haycock, Hagos, Hosack.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.