2000
#5,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,051
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.24
Rare Last name
Emanuel
Derived from the Hebrew name "Immanuel," meaning "God is with us," and adopted as a surname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,104 Americans carry the last name Emanuel. That puts it at #5,437 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,248 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Emanuel surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Emanuel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 48,248
Census rank
#5,437
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,195 bearers of the surname Emanuel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5437th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Emanuel, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.4%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Hispanic (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Emanuel
The surname Emanuel has its origins in the Hebrew language and can be traced back to ancient Israel. It is derived from the Hebrew phrase "Immanu El," which translates to "God is with us." The name gained popularity during the time of the Old Testament and was often given to children as a symbol of faith and devotion to God.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Emanuel can be found in the Bible itself. In the Book of Isaiah, a prophecy is made about the birth of a child who would be called "Immanuel," a name that holds significant religious meaning for both Jews and Christians.
As the Jewish diaspora spread across Europe during the Middle Ages, the surname Emanuel became more widespread. It was commonly found in communities across Spain, Portugal, and Italy, where variations like Emanuelis and Emmanuele were also used.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various historical documents, including the Chartulary of Monreale in Sicily, where a certain Iohannes Emanuelis is mentioned. Additionally, the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.
Notable individuals with the surname Emanuel throughout history include:
1. Judah Emanuel (1285-1349), a renowned Jewish philosopher and Talmudic scholar from Catalonia, Spain.
2. Emanuel Tremellius (1510-1580), an Italian Renaissance scholar and one of the first non-Jewish translators of the Bible into Latin from the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts.
3. Emanuel da Costa (1717-1791), a Dutch-Portuguese philosopher and influential figure in the European Enlightenment movement.
4. Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), a Swedish philosopher, mystic, and scientist who is best known for his spiritual writings and the formation of the Swedenborgian branch of Christianity.
5. Emanuel Leutze (1816-1868), a German-American painter known for his iconic work "Washington Crossing the Delaware," which depicts a pivotal moment in the American Revolutionary War.
The surname Emanuel has maintained its popularity and can be found in various cultures and communities around the world, serving as a testament to its rich historical and religious heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Emanuel
Among Census respondents with the surname Emanuel, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.4%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Hispanic (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Emanuel bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Emanuel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.4% · 3,120
- Black or African American32.0% · 1,985
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 401
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.2% · 321
- Two or more races4.7% · 293
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 75
Timeline
Historical Census data for Emanuel
Emanuel appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,340
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,517
+466 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 2.21
Rank movement Down 44 places
2020
#5,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,195
-322 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.07
Rank movement Down 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,296 | 6,051 | 2.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,340 | 6,517 | 2.21 | +466 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 44 places |
| 2020 | #5,437 | 6,195 | 2.07 | -322 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 97 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Emanuel surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,340 | #5,437 | -1.8% |
| Count | 6,517 | 6,195 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.21 | 2.07 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Emanuel bearers went from 6,517 to 6,195 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,340 to #5,437.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Emanuel
FAQ
Emanuel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Emanuel?
Name Census estimates that about 7,104 living Americans carry the surname Emanuel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,248 residents.
How common is Emanuel?
Emanuel ranks #5,437 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,195 people with the surname Emanuel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,104), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Emanuel.
Has Emanuel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Emanuel went from 6,517 recorded bearers to 6,195. That is a decrease of 322 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,340 to #5,437.
What does the Census say about the background of Emanuel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Emanuel, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.4%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Hispanic (6.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Emanuel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.4% (3,120 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Emanuel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.4%), Black (32.0%), Hispanic (6.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Emanuel (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Emanuel mean?
Derived from the Hebrew name "Immanuel," meaning "God is with us," and adopted as a surname. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Emanuel (2.07 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Emanuel?
If you just want to know how many people are called Emanuel, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.