Manetta
An Italian feminine diminutive of Emanuela, meaning "God is with us."
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Manetta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Manetta today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Manetta births was 1926 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Manetta. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Manetta is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Manettas were born before 1969.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Manetta. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1926
9 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
1960 SSA rank
#6,115
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Manetta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Manetta from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 29 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Manetta by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Manetta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Manetta
The name Manetta has its origins in the Romance languages, specifically Italian. It is believed to have derived from the Latin name Manettus or Manettius, which were diminutive forms of the name Mannus. The name Mannus itself can be traced back to the ancient Etruscan civilization, where it was a common given name.
Manetta was a relatively popular name during the Middle Ages and Renaissance period in Italy. It was often used as a feminine form of the masculine name Manetto, which was a diminutive of the name Mano or Manno. These names were derived from the Latin word "manus," meaning "hand."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Manetta can be found in the writings of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. In his famous work, "The Divine Comedy," written in the early 14th century, he mentions a character named Manetta, though little is known about her historical significance.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Manetta. One such person was Manetta Ammanati (1357-1422), an Italian nun and mystic who was known for her visions and spiritual writings. Another was Manetta Brill (1493-1559), a German painter and engraver who was one of the few female artists of the Renaissance period.
In the 16th century, there was a Manetta Zucchetta (1518-1590), an Italian painter and miniaturist who worked in the court of the Medici family in Florence. A few centuries later, Manetta Lovati (1783-1859) was an Italian painter and engraver who specialized in portraiture and religious subjects.
Another notable figure was Manetta Zuppinger (1830-1905), a Swiss writer and feminist who was one of the first women to advocate for equal rights and women's suffrage in Switzerland.
While the name Manetta has its roots in Italian and Latin, it has been used in various forms and spellings across different cultures and languages throughout history. However, it remains a relatively uncommon name, particularly in modern times, and is most closely associated with its Italian origins and historical significance.
People
Manetta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Manetta as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Manetta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Manetta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Manetta going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Manetta a common name?
We classify Manetta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 57 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Manetta most popular?
The single biggest year for Manetta was 1926, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Manetta is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Manetta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Manetta in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.