A. Bongioanni notes that this is a Germanic given name: Hug is equivalent to "spirit"; Latinized as Hugo, Hugonis. Its name day is celebrated on 1 April. This one too, in its various forms, is a frequent name, and gives many surnames: Ughi, -ghelli, -ghetti, -goni, Ugolini, etc.; Dugoni, Gullino, Cullino (doubtful), Gulinelli (Piedmontese); and in competition with other names: Ghelli, Ghetti, Ghez, Ghezzi, Ghini, Gucci, Guzzi, etc.

Bongioanni adds a linguistic observation: there are still people in Italy who pronounce Victor Hugo in the Italianized manner, and he recalls having read more than once, he does not know where, the form Vittore Ugo. It cannot be said to be an erroneous pronunciation, because the surname of the great French poet is undoubtedly German; French has Hugues, Huc, Huet, Huon, while in the biographical dictionaries there are at least half a dozen Hugo of German origin.