Yanuel
A Hebrew name meaning "God answers" or "God has answered".
Name Census estimates that about 392 living Americans carry the first name Yanuel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Yanuel today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yanuel births was 2011 (75 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yanuel. 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
392
~ 1 in 874,373 Americans
Peak year
2011
75 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,920
Tracked since 2010
Popularity
Yanuel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yanuel from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 337 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yanuel 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 Yanuel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yanuels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. New York, Texas, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Yanuel, while Massachusetts, Illinois, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Yanuel
The name Yanuel is a relatively rare and unique given name, with its origins shrouded in mystery. It is believed to have roots in ancient Mesopotamia, where it may have been derived from the Sumerian word "yana," meaning "to flourish" or "to prosper." This connection to fertility and growth could have been a symbolic gesture for parents bestowing this name upon their newborns.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Yanuel can be found in the ancient Babylonian cuneiform tablets dating back to around 2000 BCE. These tablets contain lists of names, including variations of Yanuel, suggesting its usage during that era in the region now known as modern-day Iraq.
In the 8th century BCE, a prominent figure named Yanuel is mentioned in the Aramaic inscriptions found in the ancient city of Palmyra, located in present-day Syria. These inscriptions detail Yanuel's role as a merchant and his involvement in trade caravans traversing the Silk Road.
During the Byzantine era, around the 5th century CE, a monk named Yanuel is recorded as having lived in the monasteries of Mount Athos in Greece. He is believed to have authored several religious texts, although few have survived to the present day.
In the 11th century, a Persian scholar and philosopher named Yanuel ibn Ishaq gained recognition for his contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy. His work on celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary movements was highly regarded during his time.
Another notable figure with the name Yanuel was a Spanish explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. Yanuel de Arana played a pivotal role in establishing settlements in the Caribbean and documenting the indigenous cultures encountered during the expedition.
While the name Yanuel has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures, each leaving their mark in various fields and eras. Despite its obscurity, the name continues to intrigue and captivate those who encounter it, serving as a reminder of the richness and diversity of human history and nomenclature.
People
Yanuel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yanuel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yanuel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yanuel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 392 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yanuel 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 874,373 US residents.
Is Yanuel a common name?
We classify Yanuel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 395 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yanuel most popular?
The single biggest year for Yanuel was 2011, when 75 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yanuel is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Yanuel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yanuel 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.