Manning
A masculine name of Germanic origin meaning "little man".
Name Census estimates that about 1,141 living Americans carry the first name Manning. It is a predominantly male name (98.0% of registrations). The average person named Manning today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Manning births was 1916 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Manning. 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.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 300,398 Americans
Peak year
1916
44 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,803
Tracked since 1881
Gender
Gender distribution for Manning
Manning leans heavily male at 98.0% of total registrations, but 38 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Manning as a male name
- Ranked #4,803 in 2024
- 21 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1916 (44 births)
Manning as a female name
- Ranked #15,530 in 2016
- 6 female births in 2016
- Peak: 2012 (6 births)
Popularity
Manning: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Manning from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 333 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Manning remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Manning 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 Manning during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mannings live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. South Carolina, Texas, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Manning, while Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 49 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Manning
The given name Manning is an English name that originated in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "mann" meaning "man" and "ing" meaning "son of" or "descendant of." The name was thus initially used to refer to the son of a man or a male descendant.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Manning date back to the 12th century in England. In 1196, a man named Manning de Weston was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire. The name also appears in various historical records throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, though it was not as common as some other English names.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Manning was John Manning, an English politician who lived from 1608 to 1677. He served as a Member of Parliament for Southwark in the 1660s.
Another historical figure with the name Manning was Cardinal Henry Edward Manning, an English Roman Catholic prelate who lived from 1808 to 1892. He was a prominent advocate of social justice and was known for his writings on theological and social issues.
In the realm of literature, the name Manning is associated with the American author and literary critic William Manning, who lived from 1766 to 1835. He was known for his works on literary criticism and his translations of classical Greek and Latin texts.
In the field of science, the name Manning is associated with the British botanist Richard Manning, who lived from 1720 to 1801. He was a prominent botanist and horticulturist who contributed significantly to the study of plant species in England.
Another notable individual with the name Manning was Thomas Manning, an English traveler and explorer who lived from 1772 to 1840. He is known for his travels to Tibet and his efforts to establish diplomatic relations between Britain and the Tibetan government.
While the name Manning has its origins in England, it has been used in various parts of the world, particularly in countries with historical ties to Britain. However, it remains most prevalent in English-speaking regions.
People
Manning + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Manning 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
Manning: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Manning?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,141 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Manning 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 300,398 US residents.
Is Manning a common name?
We classify Manning as "Rare". It ranks above 90.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,860 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Manning most popular?
The single biggest year for Manning was 1916, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Manning is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Manning a male name?
Yes, 98.0% of people registered as Manning in the SSA data are male. 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.