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McHugh History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

McHugh History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of McHugh

What does the name McHugh mean?

The surname McHugh in Ireland have evolved from the Gaelic Mac Aodha, which means son of Aodh or son of Hugh.

Early Origins of the McHugh family

The surname McHugh was first found in Connacht (Irish: Connachta, (land of the) descendants of Conn), where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the McHugh family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McHugh research. Another 212 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1313, 1348 and 1585 are included under the topic Early McHugh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McHugh Spelling Variations

People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname McHugh that are preserved in archival documents are McHugh, MacHugh, McCue, MacCue, MacKew, McKew and others.

Early Notables of the McHugh family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

the McHugh family of County Fermanagh

McHugh Ranking

In the United States, the name McHugh is the 2,244^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 1

McHugh migration to the United States +

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the McHugh name:

McHugh Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas McHugh, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 2

McHugh Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Andrew McHugh, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 2
Miss Bridget McHugh, aged 25, British servant who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Louisa" in 1825
Conrad McHugh, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1827 2
Elisha McHugh, who landed in South Carolina in 1830 2
Mary Z McHugh, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1830 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McHugh migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McHugh Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Charles McHugh was a fisherman in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1794 3

McHugh Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Charles McHugh, who settled in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland in 1810
Mary McHugh, aged 19, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
John McHugh, aged 20, a tailor, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Bartley" in 1833
Margaret McHugh, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
Francis McHugh, aged 31, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McHugh migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

McHugh Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Mchugh, (b. 1801), aged 26, Irish farm labourer who was convicted in Longford, Ireland for life for house robbery, transported aboard the â€œCountess of Harcourtâ€œ on 14th February 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. William Mchugh, (b. 1801), aged 26, Irish farm labourer who was convicted in Longford, Ireland for life for house robbery, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 28th June 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. Richard Mchugh, (b. 1801), aged 27, Irish farm servant who was convicted in County Mayo, Ireland for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Borodino" on 11th February 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1830 when he was killed 6
Mr. James Mchugh, (b. 1828), aged 15, British labourer who was convicted in Clerkenwell, London, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 26th May 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1844 7
Mary Ann McHugh, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Angelina" on April 25, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McHugh migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

McHugh Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas McHUGH, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1842
Miss Catherine Mchugh, (b. 1841), aged 25, British domestic servant travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Bombay" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 18th August 1866 9
Miss Ann Mchugh, (b. 1839), aged 27, British dressmaker travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Bombay" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 18th August 1866 9
John McHugh, aged 21, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arawa" in 1884
Hugh McHugh, aged 22, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arawa" in 1884
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McHugh (post 1700) +

Thomas Edward McHugh (1936-2025), American politician and jurist who served on the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia 10
Maureen F. McHugh (b. 1959), American science fiction and fantasy writer
James Thomas McHugh (1932-2000), American Catholic bishop
Sergeant Major Thomas J. McHugh (1919-2000), American Marine Corps recipient of the Purple Heart medal
Frank McHugh (1898-1981), American film and television actor
Jimmy McHugh (1894-1969), American composer
Eugene J. McHugh, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly 12th District, 1965 10
Dorothy B. McHugh, American Republican politician, Member of Republican National Committee from New York, 1963; Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1964 10
Dennis H. McHugh (b. 1862), American Republican politician, Bookkeeper; Farmer; Member of Vermont State House of Representatives from Weybridge, 1910 10
Charles H. McHugh, American Democratic Party politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Bronx County 10th District, 1951-52; Defeated, 1952 10
... (Another 33 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 19th April 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th April 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Borodino
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asiatic
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Angelina voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1844 with 171 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/angelina/1844
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html