boys' name ★ peaked 2005

Manuel

Meaning A male given name from Spanish Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #371 Trend ↓ Falling 13%

A male given name from Spanish.

Rank 2025
#371
among boys · ↓20 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
860
named Manuel · -10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,986
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2005
2,665 babies
All-time total
192,742
#191 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Manuel popularity over time

192,742 babies have been named Manuel since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 802 802 80 – #148
1890s – 952 952 95 +19% #148
1900s – 1,751 1,751 175 +84% #104
1910s 25 8,370 8,395 840 +379% #107
1920s 124 15,664 15,788 1,579 +88% #108
1930s 121 12,330 12,451 1,245 -21% #121
1940s 97 14,186 14,283 1,428 +15% #147
1950s 98 16,376 16,474 1,647 +15% #158
1960s 128 16,036 16,164 1,616 -2% #165
1970s 208 17,697 17,905 1,791 +11% #139
1980s 195 19,985 20,180 2,018 +13% #136
1990s 132 24,176 24,308 2,431 +20% #130
2000s 25 23,444 23,469 2,347 -3% #153
2010s – 13,869 13,869 1,387 -41% #210
2020s (to 2025) 5 5,946 5,951 992 -28% #316

Where Manuel is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 837 0.49 #377
2027 818 0.48 #388
2028 802 0.47 #398
2029 789 0.46 #405
2030 778 0.46 #410

Where Manuel is most popular

Boys named Manuel per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.571 per 1,000. Strongest in New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Manuel born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Mexico 69 2.09 +267%
Arizona 312 1.91 +234%
California 1,207 1.32 +131%
Texas 1,036 1.18 +106%
Rhode Island 19 1.17 +104%
Nevada 63 1.11 +94%
Colorado 111 0.860 +51%
Nebraska 37 0.851 +49%
Kansas 56 0.816 +43%
Oregon 55 0.725 +27%
Washington 110 0.672 +18%
Florida 297 0.627 +10%
Oklahoma 55 0.622 +9%
Illinois 145 0.567 ≈ national
Alabama 55 0.503 -12%
Georgia 116 0.458 -20%
New Jersey 88 0.437 -23%
Massachusetts 60 0.436 -24%
Indiana 67 0.418 -27%
Maryland 49 0.411 -28%
Connecticut 26 0.384 -33%
Wisconsin 45 0.380 -33%
Virginia 70 0.369 -35%
South Carolina 38 0.368 -36%
Utah 35 0.367 -36%
New York 150 0.346 -39%
Idaho 14 0.342 -40%
North Carolina 83 0.325 -43%
Tennessee 56 0.310 -46%
Iowa 21 0.305 -47%
Arkansas 19 0.300 -47%
Louisiana 28 0.274 -52%
Michigan 52 0.254 -55%
Pennsylvania 61 0.230 -60%
Kentucky 20 0.199 -65%
Ohio 50 0.189 -67%
Missouri 24 0.173 -70%
Minnesota 18 0.147 -74%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Manuel

Manuel is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #371 in 2025 with 860 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 192,742 American babies have been named Manuel. Its peak came in 2005, when 2,665 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Manuel stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Manuel?

The median living Manuel is about 37 years old; half are between 22 and 56. An estimated 137 thousand people named Manuel are alive in the United States today.

median 37 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Manuel year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 860 #371
2024 – – 958 #351
2023 – – 1,009 #333
2022 5 #16,840 1,065 #316
2021 – – 1,036 #321
2020 – – 1,018 #323
2019 – – 1,147 #298
2018 – – 1,219 #290
2017 – – 1,327 #274
2016 – – 1,301 #280
2015 – – 1,297 #283
2014 – – 1,382 #265
2013 – – 1,472 #246
2012 – – 1,464 #249
2011 – – 1,559 #231
2010 – – 1,701 #210
2009 – – 1,954 #195
2008 – – 2,143 #187
2007 – – 2,413 #169
2006 8 #13,151 2,546 #165
2005 – – 2,665 #153
2004 – – 2,410 #168
2003 – – 2,248 #174
2002 8 #11,785 2,326 #165
2001 – – 2,312 #164
2000 9 #10,419 2,427 #159
1995 11 #7,863 2,366 #150
1990 16 #5,721 2,390 #134
1985 23 #3,682 1,975 #143
1980 13 #5,424 1,903 #144
1975 24 #3,016 1,800 #139
1970 16 #3,804 1,695 #170
1965 13 #3,661 1,502 #176
1960 13 #3,613 1,672 #186
1955 5 #6,380 1,671 #170
1950 – – 1,581 #158
1945 10 #3,046 1,389 #150
1940 9 #3,117 1,170 #147
1935 16 #2,063 1,148 #137
1930 10 #2,987 1,520 #121
1925 13 #2,717 1,553 #114
1920 16 #2,331 1,461 #118
1915 – – 976 #134
1910 – – 288 #107
1905 – – 157 #138
1900 – – 174 #131
1895 – – 98 #159
1890 – – 96 #148
1885 – – 90 #151
1880 – – 75 #173

Famous people named Manuel

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Manuel Noriega Manuel Noriega Military dictator of Panama from 1983 to 1989 1934–2017 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Manuel L. Quezon Manuel L. Quezon President of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944 1878–1944 · 19th century
  3. 3 Manuel Pellegrini Manuel Pellegrini Chilean football manager (born 1953) Contemporary
  4. 4 Manuel II of Portugal Manuel II of Portugal Last king of Portugal from 1908 to 1910 1889–1932 · 19th century
  5. 5 Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I of Portugal King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521 1469–1521 · Medieval
  6. 6 Manuel I Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos Byzantine emperor from 1143 to 1180 1118–1180 · Medieval
  7. 7 Manuel Azaña Manuel Azaña Spanish Republican; Prime Minister & President (1880–1940) 19th century
  8. 8 Manuel II Palaiologos Manuel II Palaiologos Byzantine emperor from 1391 to 1425 1350–1425 · Medieval
  9. 9 Manuel Valls Manuel Valls Prime Minister of France from 2014 to 2016 b. 1962 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Manuel Belgrano Manuel Belgrano Argentine military leader, politician, and lawyer (1770–1820) 18th century
  11. 11 Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla Spanish composer (1876–1946) 19th century
  12. 12 Manuel Ávila Camacho Manuel Ávila Camacho President of Mexico from 1940 to 1946 1897–1955 · 19th century
  13. 13 Manuel Urrutia Lleó Manuel Urrutia Lleó President of Cuba in 1959 1901–1981 · Contemporary
  14. 14 Manuel Godoy Manuel Godoy First Secretary of State of Spain 1767–1851 · 18th century
  15. 15 Manuel Puig Manuel Puig Argentine writer (1932–1990) Contemporary
  16. 16 Manuel Fraga Manuel Fraga Spanish politician (1922–2012) Contemporary
  17. 17 Manuel Castells Manuel Castells Spanish sociologist and politician b. 1942 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Manuel Uribe Topics referred to by the same term 1965–2014 · Contemporary
  19. 19 Manuel Marulanda Manuel Marulanda Leader of the FARC-EP (1930–2008) Contemporary
  20. 20 Manuel Ponce Manuel Ponce Mexican composer (1882–1948) 1886–1948 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Manuel, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Manuel?

The median living Manuel is about 37 years old. Half of all living Manuels are between 22 and 56 years old.

How many people named Manuel are alive today?

An estimated 137 thousand people named Manuel are alive in the United States, based on 192,742 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Manuel mean?

A male given name from Spanish.

How popular is the name Manuel in 2025?

Manuel ranked #371 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 860 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Manuel?

192,742 babies have been named Manuel in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Manuel most popular?

Manuel peaked in 2005, when 2,665 newborns received the name.

Is Manuel a boy or girl name?

Manuel is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Manuel rising or falling?

Manuel is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Manuel become more popular?

Manuel is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 778 boys named Manuel in 2030, which would rank around #410. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Manuel?

Well-known people named Manuel include Manuel Noriega (politician), Manuel L. Quezon (politician), Manuel Pellegrini (coach).

Names like Manuel

Names that sound and feel close to Manuel: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Manuel with similar names → More names starting with M →