Hudson
Meaning
son of Hudde
The story
Hudson is an English surname meaning son of Hudde, a medieval pet form that could belong to Hugh or Richard. The name also became geographic through the Hudson River, named for explorer Henry Hudson after his 1609 voyage, and through the cities, bays, and valleys that followed. First-name use in America is strikingly recent. The curve is nearly empty through the twentieth century, begins to register in the 2000s, rises sharply in the 2010s, and reaches its strongest point in the 2020s. That ascent places Hudson squarely in the modern surname and place-name movement, alongside names such as Lincoln and Easton. Yet the medieval patronymic keeps it from being newly invented. Hudson can evoke a family line, a river, New York landscapes, or simply a strong two-syllable sound, all from the same spelling.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Hudson peaked in the 2020s.
Popularity in Brazil
25,174 people · the #913 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 8,065 · median age 29
Among people named Hudson living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 507 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Hudson
Most people given the name Hudson in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Hudson deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Hudson truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Hudson fits with your family’s names and surname.
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