Manuel

ma-nwehl; ma-noo-ehl

Spanish variation of Emmanuel, Hebrew

"God is with us"

Manuel Origin and Meaning

The name Manuel is a boy's name of Spanish origin meaning "God is with us".

Popular among Hispanic communities but also used internationally, Manuel is a name with a regal history.

In use since the 13th century, Manuel was likely brought to Spain and Portugal from the Byzantine Empire thanks to connections between their royal families. Borne by two Byzantine emperors and two Portuguese kings, Manuel has been used fairly consistently throughout history and into the present.

In the US, Manuel has been a staple feature in the Top 1000 since the data began to be collected in the late 19th century. Until recently, this Spanish variant had always outranked its English counterpart, but since the mid 2000s, Manuel has been in decline while Emmanuel has been on the rise.

Still in the Top 500, but at its lowest ever rank, Manuel is currently given to around 1000 boys each year in the States.

Across the globe, Manuel has fared better. It remains well used in Spain, Portugal and Italy, across South America, and in The Netherlands and Germany too.

Manny and Manu are popular nickname options, with Manu gaining traction as a stand-alone choice in The Netherlands.

Manuel Rank in US Top 1000

# 331 in the US

Manuel Popularity

• 331 US 2023
• 1322 Nameberry 2024
• 261 Future 2028
• 982 England 2020
• 134 Germany 2016
• 162 Netherlands 2015
• 46 Italy 2022
• 6 Spain 2023
• 20 Portugal 2022
• 62 Mexico 2021
• 161 Switzerland 2023
• 72 Chile 2021

20 Names Similar to Manuel

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Manuel.

• Jimena
• Eduardo
• Alberto
• Luis
• Javier
• Leslie
• Cesar
• Alejandro
• Miguel
• Vicente
• Green
• Francisco
• Felipe
• Gaspar
• Ivana
• Francesco
• Belen
• Ariadna
• Emanuel
• Marth

Famous People Named Manuel

• Manuel I King of Portugal
• Manuel II (Manuel Maria Filipe Carlos Amélio Luís Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Xavier Francisco de Assis Eugénio) last King of Portugal
• Manuel Luis Quezón (y Molina) 2nd president of the Philippines
• Manuel Acuña Roxas 5th president of the Philippines
• Manuel Carlos Valls former Prime Minister of France
• Manuel de Falla (y Matheu) Spanish composer
• Manuel I Komnenos Byzantine Emperor
• Manuel Orantes (Corral) Spanish tennis player
• Manuel Antonio Noriega (Moreno) Panamanian dictator
• Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano Argentine revolutionary
• Manuel Peter Neuer German footballer
• Lin Manuel Miranda, American composer and actor
• Manuel "Manian" Reuter German music producer of "Twoloud"
• Manuel José Francisco António Caetano Estêvão Bartolomeu Infante of Portugal; son of Peter II
• Manuel Maria Alexander Leopold Jörg Prince of Bavaria
• Manuel Rengifo Diaz (aka Mesajah) Polish,Peruvian Reggae singer

Manuel in Pop Culture

• Manuel Manzano character in "Sims" series
• Manuel Alberto Javier Alejandro "Manny" Delgado character on TV's "Modern Family"