Hughes - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó hAodha
Meaning: descendant of Aodh - “fire”
Traditional stronghold: Galway
Pronunciation: HYOOZ; Irish O hAodha or Mac Aodha: oh HAY-uh / mahk AY-uh
History of the Hughes name
Hughes anglicises several distinct Gaelic surnames built on the personal name Aodh (meaning 'fire'), including O hAodha and Mac Aodha, both of which arose independently among different families across Ulster, Connacht and Leinster. Because Aodh was such a popular given name in early Ireland, the resulting surnames became widespread rather than confined to a single sept or territory. In parts of Ulster the name is also linked to the McHugh and MacCue forms of the same root. As an English surname in its own right (patronymic of Hugh) it was also brought by settlers, adding a second stream into the modern Irish population of the name, which today is common nationwide, especially in Ulster.
Variants: McHugh · MacHugh · Hewes
Famous bearers of the name
- Francis Hughes - Provisional IRA volunteer and 1981 hunger striker
- Herbert Hughes - Irish composer and collector of folk songs
- John Hughes - Irish-American Catholic archbishop of New York
- Kathleen Hughes - Irish historian of early medieval Ireland
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Kelly · Lynch · Connolly · Burke · Clarke · Keane · Kenny · Cunningham