Manuel
Manuel was the 371st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 860 babies. Its best year was 1906, when it ranked 104th; the most babies were born in 2005 (2,665). Over the last ten years it has moved down 88 places. More babies were named Manuel in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning God is with us · Hebrew, Spanish
Say it mahn-WEL /mɑnˈwɛl/
- Rank in 2025
- #371 boys, down 48 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 860boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20052,665 babies
- Total since 1880
- 192,742babies recorded
What does the name Manuel mean?
Manuel is the Spanish and Portuguese short form of Emanuel, from Hebrew Immanuel, "God is with us", the name given in the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 and applied by Christians to Jesus. DMNES lists Byzantine emperors and a 16th-century king of Portugal named Emmanuel. Harrison (1918) also records Manuel as a form of Immanuel.
עִמָּנוּאֵל (Biblical Hebrew, “God is with us”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Emanuel, Emmanuel, Manny, Manolo.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Manuel', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Emmanuel', DMNES, Durham University
- Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. 2 (1918), s.v. 'MANUEL', Morland Press (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- Hebrew Bible / Tanakh, Isaiah 7.14, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria
Nicknames for Manuel
The usual nicknames for Manuel are Manny and Manolo. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Manuel in the last five years, 8 were named Manolo, against fewer than 1 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manny · also for Emmanuel | Traditional | #3,221 | 272 |
| Manolo | Traditional | #1,534 | 415 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Manuels go by each one.
Manuel popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,158 since 1916.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #371 | 860 |
| 2020 | #323 | 1,018 |
| 2010 | #210 | 1,701 |
| 2000 | #159 | 2,427 |
| 1990 | #134 | 2,390 |
| 1980 | #144 | 1,903 |
| 1970 | #170 | 1,695 |
| 1960 | #186 | 1,672 |
| 1950 | #158 | 1,581 |
| 1940 | #147 | 1,170 |
| 1930 | #121 | 1,520 |
| 1920 | #118 | 1,461 |
| 1910 | #107 | 288 |
| 1900 | #131 | 174 |
| 1890 | #148 | 96 |
| 1880 | #173 | 75 |
How popular is Manuel, counting every spelling?
Manuel has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #384 for boys in 2025, against #371 on the official list, because Kason/Kasen/Casen and Mohamed/Mohammad/Mohammed and Rhys/Reece/Rhyse move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Manuel?
860 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Manuel (0.24 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Manuel born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 10 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Manuel.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Manuel?
About 132,200 people born in the US named Manuel are alive today, with a median age of 37; half are between 22 and 55. That makes Manuel mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Manuel by state
How common Manuel was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (3.7×), Arizona (3.3×), California (2.3×), Texas (2.1×), Nevada (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Manuel: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Manuel, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Manuel · Sibling names for Manuel
Questions about the name Manuel
What does Manuel mean?
Manuel means “God is with us” (Hebrew, Spanish origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Manuel?
Manuel was the 371st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 860 babies. Its best year was 1906, when it ranked 104th; the most babies were born in 2005 (2,665). Over the last ten years it has moved down 88 places. More babies were named Manuel in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Manuel a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Manuel in the US.
Where is Manuel most popular?
In 2021–2025, Manuel was most common in New Mexico (2.09 per 1,000 boys), followed by Arizona and California.