Manuel
Manuel was given to 860 boys in 2025, #371 among boys’ names; 192,742 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 133,000 Americans named Manuel and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (69% of everyone recorded); the median is 37 years old and half are between 22 and 56.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Manuel by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Manuel mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Manuel is “a male given name from Spanish.”
Borrowed from Spanish and Portuguese Manuel, short for Emanuel.
/mɑnˈwɛl/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Manuel?
#371 among boys’ names, 2025
Manuel fell from #283 in 2015 to #371 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.68 to 0.50 per 1,000.
2,665 babies in 2005, the peak
Manuel peaked in 2005, when 2,665 boys were given it, #153 among boys’ names. The 860 births of 2025 are 32% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 860 | #371 | 0.50 |
| 2024 | 958 | #351 | 0.56 |
| 2023 | 1,009 | #333 | 0.59 |
| 2022 | 1,065 | #316 | 0.61 |
| 2021 | 1,036 | #321 | 0.59 |
| 2020 | 1,018 | #323 | 0.59 |
| 2019 | 1,147 | #298 | 0.64 |
| 2018 | 1,219 | #290 | 0.67 |
| 2017 | 1,327 | #274 | 0.72 |
| 2016 | 1,301 | #280 | 0.69 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1,297 | #283 | 0.68 |
| 2014 | 1,382 | #265 | 0.72 |
| 2013 | 1,472 | #246 | 0.78 |
| 2012 | 1,464 | #249 | 0.77 |
| 2011 | 1,559 | #231 | 0.82 |
| 2010 | 1,701 | #210 | 0.89 |
| 2009 | 1,954 | #195 | 1.0 |
| 2008 | 2,143 | #187 | 1.1 |
| 2007 | 2,413 | #169 | 1.2 |
| 2006 | 2,546 | #165 | 1.2 |
| 2005 | 2,665 | #153 | 1.3 |
| 2004 | 2,410 | #168 | 1.2 |
| 2003 | 2,248 | #174 | 1.1 |
| 2002 | 2,326 | #165 | 1.2 |
| 2001 | 2,312 | #164 | 1.2 |
| 2000 | 2,427 | #159 | 1.2 |
| 1999 | 2,354 | #155 | 1.2 |
| 1998 | 2,351 | #147 | 1.2 |
| 1997 | 2,323 | #146 | 1.2 |
| 1996 | 2,410 | #145 | 1.3 |
| 1995 | 2,366 | #150 | 1.2 |
| 1994 | 2,465 | #143 | 1.3 |
| 1993 | 2,433 | #142 | 1.2 |
| 1992 | 2,586 | #130 | 1.3 |
| 1991 | 2,498 | #131 | 1.2 |
| 1990 | 2,390 | #134 | 1.2 |
| 1989 | 2,208 | #139 | 1.1 |
| 1988 | 2,119 | #139 | 1.1 |
| 1987 | 2,084 | #138 | 1.1 |
| 1986 | 1,961 | #143 | 1.1 |
| 1985 | 1,975 | #143 | 1.1 |
| 1984 | 1,850 | #146 | 1.0 |
| 1983 | 1,869 | #145 | 1.0 |
| 1982 | 2,054 | #136 | 1.1 |
| 1981 | 1,962 | #142 | 1.1 |
| 1980 | 1,903 | #144 | 1.1 |
| 1979 | 1,910 | #140 | 1.1 |
| 1978 | 1,849 | #142 | 1.1 |
| 1977 | 1,739 | #146 | 1.1 |
| 1976 | 1,837 | #140 | 1.2 |
| 1975 | 1,800 | #139 | 1.2 |
| 1974 | 1,766 | #142 | 1.1 |
| 1973 | 1,709 | #145 | 1.1 |
| 1972 | 1,703 | #152 | 1.1 |
| 1971 | 1,689 | #164 | 1.0 |
| 1970 | 1,695 | #170 | 0.91 |
| 1969 | 1,675 | #165 | 0.94 |
| 1968 | 1,597 | #169 | 0.92 |
| 1967 | 1,577 | #170 | 0.90 |
| 1966 | 1,532 | #175 | 0.86 |
| 1965 | 1,502 | #176 | 0.81 |
| 1964 | 1,636 | #169 | 0.82 |
| 1963 | 1,615 | #182 | 0.80 |
| 1962 | 1,564 | #193 | 0.76 |
| 1961 | 1,666 | #187 | 0.78 |
| 1960 | 1,672 | #186 | 0.78 |
| 1959 | 1,648 | #183 | 0.77 |
| 1958 | 1,660 | #178 | 0.78 |
| 1957 | 1,633 | #185 | 0.76 |
| 1956 | 1,617 | #181 | 0.76 |
| 1955 | 1,671 | #170 | 0.81 |
| 1954 | 1,686 | #169 | 0.83 |
| 1953 | 1,576 | #169 | 0.80 |
| 1952 | 1,661 | #162 | 0.85 |
| 1951 | 1,643 | #158 | 0.87 |
| 1950 | 1,581 | #158 | 0.88 |
| 1949 | 1,643 | #154 | 0.93 |
| 1948 | 1,591 | #156 | 0.91 |
| 1947 | 1,678 | #156 | 0.92 |
| 1946 | 1,491 | #157 | 0.92 |
| 1945 | 1,389 | #150 | 1.0 |
| 1944 | 1,400 | #149 | 1.0 |
| 1943 | 1,429 | #149 | 1.0 |
| 1942 | 1,275 | #153 | 0.92 |
| 1941 | 1,120 | #154 | 0.91 |
| 1940 | 1,170 | #147 | 1.0 |
| 1939 | 1,143 | #143 | 1.0 |
| 1938 | 1,144 | #144 | 1.0 |
| 1937 | 1,131 | #138 | 1.1 |
| 1936 | 1,173 | #135 | 1.1 |
| 1935 | 1,148 | #137 | 1.1 |
| 1934 | 1,252 | #131 | 1.2 |
| 1933 | 1,189 | #134 | 1.2 |
| 1932 | 1,318 | #129 | 1.3 |
| 1931 | 1,312 | #132 | 1.3 |
| 1930 | 1,520 | #121 | 1.4 |
| 1929 | 1,626 | #111 | 1.5 |
| 1928 | 1,646 | #111 | 1.5 |
| 1927 | 1,603 | #116 | 1.4 |
| 1926 | 1,549 | #120 | 1.4 |
| 1925 | 1,553 | #114 | 1.4 |
| 1924 | 1,664 | #108 | 1.5 |
| 1923 | 1,545 | #114 | 1.4 |
| 1922 | 1,461 | #119 | 1.3 |
| 1921 | 1,556 | #113 | 1.4 |
| 1920 | 1,461 | #118 | 1.4 |
| 1919 | 1,361 | #118 | 1.4 |
| 1918 | 1,312 | #126 | 1.3 |
| 1917 | 1,157 | #128 | 1.3 |
| 1916 | 1,049 | #133 | 1.2 |
| 1915 | 976 | #134 | 1.2 |
| 1914 | 794 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1913 | 624 | #125 | 1.2 |
| 1912 | 469 | #137 | 1.1 |
| 1911 | 340 | #112 | 1.5 |
| 1910 | 288 | #107 | 1.5 |
| 1909 | 243 | #115 | 1.5 |
| 1908 | 220 | #118 | 1.4 |
| 1907 | 184 | #130 | 1.3 |
| 1906 | 205 | #104 | 1.5 |
| 1905 | 157 | #138 | 1.2 |
| 1904 | 149 | #138 | 1.2 |
| 1903 | 151 | #127 | 1.3 |
| 1902 | 118 | #152 | 1.0 |
| 1901 | 150 | #112 | 1.4 |
| 1900 | 174 | #131 | 1.2 |
| 1899 | 97 | #157 | 0.91 |
| 1898 | 95 | #171 | 0.77 |
| 1897 | 86 | #179 | 0.76 |
| 1896 | 104 | #159 | 0.87 |
| 1895 | 98 | #159 | 0.83 |
| 1894 | 99 | #155 | 0.86 |
| 1893 | 96 | #154 | 0.85 |
| 1892 | 96 | #164 | 0.79 |
| 1891 | 85 | #159 | 0.84 |
| 1890 | 96 | #148 | 0.86 |
| 1889 | 81 | #167 | 0.73 |
| 1888 | 101 | #151 | 0.84 |
| 1887 | 72 | #176 | 0.71 |
| 1886 | 70 | #192 | 0.63 |
| 1885 | 90 | #151 | 0.83 |
| 1884 | 90 | #153 | 0.79 |
| 1883 | 74 | #167 | 0.71 |
| 1882 | 92 | #148 | 0.81 |
| 1881 | 57 | #199 | 0.57 |
| 1880 | 75 | #173 | 0.68 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Manuel a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Manuel has been given almost only to boys: 1,158 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Manuel: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Manuel, and how old are they?
133,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 69% of the 192,742 Americans ever recorded as Manuel. The median Manuel alive today is 37 years old; half are between 22 and 56.
The 2020 Census counted 240,816 people named Manuel (524 women and girls, 240,292 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 135,734 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1.8 times that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 4,470 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 20,600 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 24,600 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 33,800 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 34,600 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 15,000 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Manuel born?
The states with the most babies named Manuel are California, Texas and Florida, with 51% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 187 | #199 | 3.0× |
| Texas | 179 | #217 | 3.2× |
| Florida | 60 | #326 | 0.9× |
| Arizona | 53 | #169 | 4.3× |
| New York | 27 | #577 | 0.8× |
| Georgia | 27 | #422 | 0.3× |
| Illinois | 25 | #438 | 0.6× |
| Colorado | 24 | #275 | 1.7× |
| New Jersey | 16 | #479 | 0.6× |
| Massachusetts | 15 | #353 | 1.1× |
Where Manuel is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Manuel is most over-represented in New Mexico: since 1910 it was given 6.2 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Manuel with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 2 names spelled alike, given to 193,763 babies since 1880, Manuel is the most given (99% of them). In 2025 it was given to 860 of their 860 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Manuel
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Manuel and names like it
- Compare Manuel and ManualBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2000sManuel peaked in 2005.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Manuel since 1910.
- Spanish namesWiktionary’s origin for Manuel: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2005The year the most babies were named Manuel.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Manuel alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with MMost given first.