| ![Show Contents]() Hughs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancestors of the bearers of the Hughs surname were Welsh Brythonic-Celts. However, their name came to Britain with the Norman invasion; Hughs is derived from the Old French personal name Hughe, also spelled Hue. This name was made popular by the exploits of several saints including: St. Hugh of Lincoln (1140-1200), who was born in Burgundy (French: Bourgogne) and established the first Carthusian monastery in England; as well as St. Hugh of Cluny (1024-1109). Hugh (d. 1094), called of Grantmesnil, or Grentemaisnil, was Baron and Sheriff of Leicestershire, son of Robert of Grantmesnil, in the arrondissement of Lisieux. 1 Hugh (d. 1098), called of Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury and Arundel, second son of Roger of Montgomery, held during his father's lifetime the manor of Worfield in Shropshire. 1 Early Origins of the Hughs familyThe surname Hughs was first found in Carmarthenshire (Welsh: Sir Gaerfyrddin), located in Southwest Wales, one of thirteen historic counties and presently one of the principal area in Wales. Early rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used at that time. By example, Hugo was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086; Willelmus filius Hugonis was found in Wiltshire in 1084 and Reginaldus le fiz Hugonis was in the Pipe Rolls of Leicestershire from 1195. 2 Early History of the Hughs familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hughs research. Another 106 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1038, 1518, 1545, 1553, 1600, 1603, 1604, 1612, 1613, 1620, 1632, 1645, 1654, 1659, 1662, 1664, 1667, 1670, 1674, 1677, 1685, 1693, 1695, 1704, 1719, 1720, 1731, 1740, 1751, 1776 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hughs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Hughs Spelling VariationsAlthough there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Hughs have included Hughes, Hugh, Hews, Hughs, Hues, Huse and others. Early Notables of the Hughs familyProminent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Owen ap Hugh (1518-1613), of Bodeon, near Llangadwaladr, Anglesey, a Welsh politician, Member of the Parliament for Newborough in 1545; Robert Hues (1553-1632), an English mathematician and geographer; George Hughes (1603-1667), an English Puritan clergyman and writer; Thomas Hughes (1604-1664), a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1654...
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hughs Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Hughs RankingIn the United States, the name Hughs is the 9,018th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3  Migration of the Hughs family to Ireland
Some of the Hughs family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Hughs migration to the United States | + |
Many Welsh joined the great migrations to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like their Scottish and Irish neighbors, many Welsh families left their homeland hoping to find hope and prosperity in a land that the English did not exercise a tight rule over. Those Welsh immigrants that successfully traveled to North America went on to make significant contributions to the rapid development of both Canada and the United States in terms of the settling of land and the establishment of industry. They also added to the rich cultural heritage of both countries. An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Hughs:
Hughs Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Mrs. Ann Hughs, who landed in Virginia in 1624-1625 aboard the ship "Gift" 4
- Mr. Hugh Hughs, who landed in Virginia in 1624-1625 aboard the ship "Gift" 5
- Robert Hughs, who settled in Virginia in 1638
- Owen Hughs, who landed in Virginia in 1648 4
- William Hughs, who landed in Virginia in 1651 4
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hughs Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Eliza Hughs, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 4
- Thomas Hughs, who landed in Virginia in 1701-1702 4
- Michael Hughs, who landed in Virginia in 1703 4
- Evan Hughs, who landed in Virginia in 1703 4
- Hugh Hughs, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 4
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hughs Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Jonathan Hughs, who landed in America in 1807 4
- Robert Hughs, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 4
- Patrick Hughs, who arrived in New York, NY in 1817 4
- William Hughs, who arrived in New York, NY in 1825 4
- Martin Hughs, who landed in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1848 4
| Hughs migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Hughs Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- Jeremy Hughs, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
- Mary Hughs, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Hughs Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century- Bridget Hughs, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1829
| Hughs 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: Hughs Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- John Hughs, aged 39, a slater, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edward P Bouverie" in 1873 6
- Sarah Hughs, aged 37, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edward P Bouverie" in 1873 6
| Hughs migration to West Indies | + |
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7Hughs Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century- Thomas Hughs, who settled with his wife, Elizabeth and son, Thomas in Barbados in 1679
| Historic Events for the Hughs family | + |
Lady of the Lake - Mr. John Hughs (b. 1814), shoemaker who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and he died in the sinking
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Kymmer-yn Lydeirnon
Motto Translation: Name of the lordship of the family.
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- "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)
- Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
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Hughs migration to the United States 
Hughs migration to Canada 
Hughs migration to New Zealand 
Hughs migration to West Indies 
Wales
Ireland
