Manuel
The Spanish and Portuguese short form of Emmanuel, from Hebrew Immanuel, meaning God is with us, the name given to the promised child in Isaiah.
Manuel in 2025
Manuel was given to 860 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 739th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 3,855 babies born.
The history of Manuel
Manuel reached its highest point in 2005, when 2,665 babies were given the name, ranking 277th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 248th, in 1929.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 192,742 babies have been named Manuel. Half of them were born before 1975, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation X.
Manuel by decade
| Decade | Babies named Manuel | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 802 | 312 |
| 1890s | 952 | 403 |
| 1900s | 1,751 | 323 |
| 1910s | 8,395 | 280 |
| 1920s | 15,788 | 248 |
| 1930s | 12,451 | 262 |
| 1940s | 14,283 | 313 |
| 1950s | 16,474 | 335 |
| 1960s | 16,164 | 351 |
| 1970s | 17,905 | 287 |
| 1980s | 20,180 | 274 |
| 1990s | 24,308 | 256 |
| 2000s | 23,469 | 277 |
| 2010s | 13,869 | 396 |
| 2020s | 5,951 | 627 |
Where Manuel is heading
Manuel has fallen 34% over the past decade, from 1,297 babies in 2015 to 860 in 2025.
Names like Manuel
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Manuel.