Manuel

Did you know?

A few things about Manuel you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Manuel

Manuel Akanji

Swiss association football player

Choose Manuel and your child shares a first name with Manuel Akanji, a Swiss association football player. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Manuel, like who?” Manuel Akanji's Wikipedia article is available in 53 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Manuel Akanji on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 1,986 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Manuel, 860 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Manuel would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryManuel has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Manuels, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1906, when it ranked #104. Today it's #371, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowManuel was 2.5× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 809 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 1,986.
• 🍂TrendManuel has slipped 48 places over the last five years and now sits at #371. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedManuel is most popular in Arizona, where it ranks #167, followed by Nebraska (#196) and California (#197). It's in the top 1,000 in 33 states.
• 💬MeaningManuel is a Spanish form of Emmanuel, which means “God is with us”. Our records link it to Hebrew, Portuguese and Spanish roots.
• 🌍OriginManuel is the #6 most popular Portuguese boy name in the US. That's out of 44 Portuguese boy and unisex names in our list.

About the name Manuel

Manuel is a boy name of Hebrew, Portuguese and Spanish origin meaning “God is with us”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with M and ending in “-uel”. US birth records list Manuel for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1906, when it ranked #104 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #371, with 860 babies.

Origin:Hebrew namesPortuguese namesSpanish names