Boys' name · peaked in 1906
Manuel name popularity since 1925
173,101 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Manuel (0.6% girls, 99.4% boys). Half of them were born in 1980 or earlier, so the typical Manuel is about 46 years old in 2026. Manuel peaked in 1906 as the #104 name for boys, and it ranked #371 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 173,101
- Named Manuel, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1906
- #104 for boys that year
- In 2025
- #371
- for boys in 2025 (860 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.4% boys
- 1,079 girls · 172,022 boys
- Most popular in
- New Mexico
- 6.82× its national share
Peak year is the year Manuel made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Manuel births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 2005. Measured as a share of all babies, Manuel peaked earlier, in 1906.
- Steepest fall: Between 2006 and 2011, Manuel's share of baby boys fell by 34%, from 1 in 807 to 1 in 1,220.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Manuel's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Manuel.
Decade by decade
Babies named Manuel in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 70 | 7,977 | – |
| 1930s | 121 | 12,330 | #137 |
| 1940s | 97 | 14,186 | #150 |
| 1950s | 98 | 16,376 | #170 |
| 1960s | 128 | 16,036 | #176 |
| 1970s | 208 | 17,697 | #139 |
| 1980s | 195 | 19,985 | #143 |
| 1990s | 132 | 24,176 | #150 |
| 2000s | 25 | 23,444 | #153 |
| 2010s | 0 | 13,869 | #283 |
| 2020–25 | 5 | 5,946 | #371 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
20.5% of babies named Manuel from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Manuel is most popular
The index compares Manuel's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Manuel.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 6.82× | 6,444 |
| Arizona | 4.40× | 9,757 |
| Texas | 3.10× | 41,585 |
| California | 2.91× | 52,769 |
| Colorado | 1.88× | 3,958 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Manuel's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Manuel.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Manuel (1906).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data