2000
#15,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,779
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Manigault
French occupational surname for a maker or seller of handcuffs or other manacles, derived from Old French "manicle."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,140 Americans carry the last name Manigault. That puts it at #15,162 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,166 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Manigault 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.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 160,166
Census rank
#15,162
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,866 bearers of the surname Manigault in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15162nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Manigault, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Manigault
The surname Manigault originated in France, specifically in the region of Normandy, during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old French words "mane," meaning "manor" or "estate," and "galt," which refers to a wooded area or forest. This suggests that the name may have been associated with a manorial estate or landholding located in a forested area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Manigault can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and properties in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Manigalt, which is likely an early spelling variation of the surname.
In the 13th century, a family bearing the name Manigault was documented as residing in the village of Manigault, located in the Calvados region of Normandy. This place name is believed to have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Notable individuals with the Manigault surname include Gabriel Manigault (1667-1723), a French Huguenot who fled religious persecution and settled in Charleston, South Carolina, becoming a prominent merchant and landowner. His descendant, Peter Manigault (1731-1773), was a wealthy planter and politician in colonial South Carolina.
Another significant figure was Arthur Manigault (1824-1886), a Confederate officer during the American Civil War, who later served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives.
In the literary realm, Gideon Manigault (1786-1834) was an American writer and poet from South Carolina, known for his works exploring themes of nature and Southern life.
Additionally, Louis Manigault (1828-1899), a descendant of the original French Huguenot settlers, was a prominent architect in Charleston, responsible for designing several notable buildings in the city's historic district.
While the surname Manigault has its roots in France and can be traced back to the medieval period, it has become particularly associated with the history and cultural heritage of South Carolina due to the influential families who bore this name in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Manigault
Among Census respondents with the surname Manigault, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Manigault 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 Manigault surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.5% · 1,671
- Two or more races4.3% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 58
- White2.5% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Manigault
Manigault 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
#14,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,016
+237 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 455 places
2020
#15,162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,866
-150 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 423 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,194 | 1,779 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,739 | 2,016 | 0.68 | +237 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 455 places |
| 2020 | #15,162 | 1,866 | 0.62 | -150 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 423 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 Manigault 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 | #14,739 | #15,162 | -2.9% |
| Count | 2,016 | 1,866 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.62 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Manigault bearers went from 2,016 to 1,866 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 423 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,739 to #15,162.
FAQ
Manigault surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Manigault?
Name Census estimates that about 2,140 living Americans carry the surname Manigault. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,166 residents.
How common is Manigault?
Manigault ranks #15,162 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,866 people with the surname Manigault. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,140), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Manigault.
Has Manigault become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Manigault went from 2,016 recorded bearers to 1,866. That is a decrease of 150 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,739 to #15,162.
What does the Census say about the background of Manigault?
Among Census respondents with the surname Manigault, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Manigault in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (1,671 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Manigault appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (89.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Manigault (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 Manigault mean?
French occupational surname for a maker or seller of handcuffs or other manacles, derived from Old French "manicle." 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 Manigault (0.62 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 surname Manigault?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.