How Many People Are Named Manuel?
An estimated 138,523 people in the United States have the first name Manuel. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #387 overall. It is predominantly male (99.4%). The average bearer is 41 years old, and Manuel peaked in popularity in 2005 with 2,665 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Manuel as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Manuel paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Manuel is overwhelmingly male, 1,158 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
138,523
About 1 in 2,474 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.4% confidence
Average Age
41
years old
Peak Year
2005
2,665 births
Total Registered
191,870
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Manuel
Manuel is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 191,870 total births registered, 99.4% were male.
Manuel as a male name
Ranked #351 in 2024
954 male births in 2024
Peak: 2005 (2,665 births)
Manuel as a female name
Ranked #16,826 in 2022
5 female births in 2022
Peak: 1976 (28 births)
Manuel: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Manuel span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1990s, when 24,306 babies were registered. Manuel has declined significantly from its peak in the 1990s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Manuel by Decade
How has Manuel tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 802 | 802 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 952 | 952 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 1,751 | 1,751 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 8,396 | 8,371 | 25 | |
| 1920s | 15,787 | 15,663 | 124 | |
| 1930s | 12,451 | 12,330 | 121 | |
| 1940s | 14,283 | 14,186 | 97 | |
| 1950s | 16,473 | 16,375 | 98 | |
| 1960s | 16,166 | 16,038 | 128 | |
| 1970s | 17,905 | 17,697 | 208 | |
| 1980s | 20,178 | 19,983 | 195 | |
| 1990s | 24,306 | 24,174 | 132 | |
| 2000s | 23,467 | 23,442 | 25 | |
| 2010s | 13,868 | 13,868 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 5,085 | 5,080 | 5 | |
Manuel by State
Birth registrations for Manuel span all 45 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, New York. The lowest are in Montana, Delaware, Wyoming. On average, about 4,084 Manuels were registered per state.
Manuel + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Manuel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Manuel
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
Manuel: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Manuel?
We estimate approximately 138,523 people named Manuel are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 2,474 Americans share this first name.
Is Manuel a common name?
Manuel is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 191,870 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Manuel most popular?
Manuel reached peak popularity in 2005, when 2,665 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Manuel is approximately 41 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Manuel a male name?
Manuel is predominantly male. 99.4% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Manuel Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Manuel Smith, Manuel Johnson, Manuel Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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