Boys' name · since 1880
Manuel
191,584 babies named Manuel in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2005. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #191 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #371 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 191,584
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
Yes -- Manuel is the #371 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 191,584 recorded since 1880.
Manuel has 191,584 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #371 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of boys, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #191 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #371 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 191,584 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Manuel ranks #191 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #371 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 191,584 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #191 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #371 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 191,584
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
Manuel's 191,584 recorded births place it above 99.58% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
45 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Manuel compares
191,584 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Manuel's all-time total is 519x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Manuel | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 191,584 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,665 | 34 | 22,252 |
Manuel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Manuel's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 69% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 31%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1881, with only 57 births recorded -- set against the 2005 peak of 2,665, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Manuel popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2005)
- 2,665
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Manuel popularity over time - girls
1,158 total births recorded since 1916 (Manuel as girls' name)
Manuel by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (24,176 births, 13% of the file).
1990s was Manuel's strongest decade.
24,176 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 13% of all-time use.
Manuel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 802
1880s
802 births
- 1890s 952
1890s
952 births
- 1900s 1,751
1900s
1,751 births
- 1910s 8,370
1910s
8,370 births
- 1920s
1920s
15,664 births
- 1930s
1930s
12,330 births
- 1940s
1940s
14,186 births
- 1950s
1950s
16,376 births
- 1960s
1960s
16,036 births
- 1970s
1970s
17,697 births
- 1980s
1980s
19,985 births
- 1990s
1990s
24,176 births
- 2000s
2000s
23,444 births
- 2010s
2010s
13,869 births
- 2020s 5,946
2020s
5,946 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 24,176 births (13% of all-time use).
How Manuel compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Manuel's total volume
Manuel by state
Where Manuel concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 55,080 | 28.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 45,689 | 23.8% |
| #3 | New York | | 11,188 | 5.8% |
| #4 | Arizona | | 10,924 | 5.7% |
| #5 | New Mexico | | 7,526 | 3.9% |
| #6 | Florida | | 6,107 | 3.2% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 5,930 | 3.1% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 5,408 | 2.8% |
55,080 of 191,584 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.
Manuel appears in 45 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Manuel? ▼
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When was Manuel most popular? ▼
Where is Manuel most popular? ▼
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What to do with Manuel's data
- Manuel's decade-level peak was the 1990s (24,176 total births); usage has since declined to 5,946 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Manuels (55,080 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Manuel
Nearby Names Like Manuel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Manuel
Compare Manuel side by side: Manuel vs Manny Manuel vs Manley Manuel vs Manning
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Manuel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Manuel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2005)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Manuel draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.