Hughes Family History

14-Day Free Trial

GET STARTED

Hughes Name Meaning

English (also common in Wales): patronymic from the Middle English and Anglo-Norman French personal name Hugh. Welsh: variant of Howells. Irish and Scottish: variant Anglicization of Gaelic Mac Aodha (see McCoy).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Hughen, Hugh, Hughs, Hughley, Hugus, Huguet, Hughey, Huger, Highley

Ready to discover your family story?

Simply start with yourself and we'll do the searching for you.

NEW

Hughes Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Hughes name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Hughes. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

Explore the full experience here

  • England & Wales

    49%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    25%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Norway

    2%

  • Cameroon, Congo, & Southern Bantu Peoples

    2%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

Order a DNA Kit Today

Hughes Family Origin

Where is the Hughes family from?

Mapbox
© Mapbox © OpenStreetMap Improve this map
1840
    1920
    You can see how Hughes families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Hughes family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Hughes families were found in the UK in 1891. In 1840 there were 180 Hughes families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 13% of all the recorded Hughes's in the USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Hughes families in 1840.
    Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Hughes surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

    View Census Data for Hughes

    Hughes Family Occupations

    What did your Hughes ancestors do for a living?

    In 1880, the most common Hughes occupation in the USA was Farmer. 32% of Hughes's were Farmers. A less common occupation for the Hughes family was Farming. Farmer, Laborer and Keeping House were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Hughes.

    View Census data for Hughes | Data not to scale

    • Farmer

      32%

    • Laborer

      10%

    • Keeping House

      6%

    • Farming

      3%

    Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Hughes ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

    Hughes Historical Records

    What Hughes family records will you find?

    Census Record

    There are 2 million census records available for the last name Hughes. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Hughescensus records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

    Search 1940's US census records for Hughes

    Passenger List

    There are 307,000 immigration records available for the last name Hughes. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

    View all Hughes immigration records

    Draft Card

    There are 312,000 military records available for the last name Hughes. For the veterans among your Hughes ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

    View all Hughes military records

    You've only scratched the surface of Hughes family history.

    Discover More

    Hughes Life Expectancy

    What is the average Hughes lifespan?

    Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Hughes life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Hughes in 1940 was 45, and 73 in 2004.

    View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Hughes

    An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Hughes ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

    Famous Hughes Family Ancestors

    Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in your family tree

    Famous ancestors img
    Look up another name