Manning last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Manning is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Manning.

Meaning of Manning

An English occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a servant or attendant.

Manning, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Manning surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Manning in America

Manning is the 434th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Manning surname appeared 74,949 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 25 people would have the surname Manning.

We can also compare 2010 data for Manning to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 434 402 7.66%
Count 74,949 72,069 3.92%
Proportion per 100k 25.41 26.72 -5.03%

The history of the last name Manning

The surname Manning originated in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "mannen," which means "someone who was a servant or vassal." The name initially referred to a servant or bondsman who worked on a lord's estate or manor.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest written record of surnames in England, there are several entries of the name Manning or variations such as Manni and Manninges. These early forms suggest that the name was already established in various parts of the country by the late 11th century.

The Manning surname is closely associated with the county of Norfolk, where it was particularly prevalent during the Middle Ages. Several place names in Norfolk, such as Mannington and Manningford, are believed to have contributed to the evolution and spread of the surname.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Manning was William Manning, born circa 1270 in Norfolk. He held lands in the village of Trunch and was mentioned in various legal documents from the late 13th century.

Another notable figure was John Manning, a merchant and alderman of London, who lived between 1440 and 1516. He served as the Master of the Worshipful Company of Skinners and was a prominent figure in the city's trade and civic affairs.

In the 16th century, Thomas Manning (1532-1597) was a renowned theologian and academic who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and later became the Bishop of Chichester.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Colonel Michael Manning (1616-1669) was a prominent military commander who fought for the Parliamentarian forces against King Charles I.

Sir William Manning (1693-1761), born in Norfolk, was a British diplomat and politician who served as the Governor of the Bank of England from 1738 to 1742.

The Manning surname has been carried across the globe by English immigrants and has taken root in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It remains a prominent name in many English-speaking communities, reflecting its deep historical roots in England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Manning

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Manning.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Manning was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 73.90% 55,387
Non-Hispanic Black Only 20.34% 15,245
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.56% 420
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.81% 607
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.03% 1,521
Hispanic Origin 2.36% 1,769

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Manning has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 73.90% 76.64% -3.64%
Black 20.34% 19.14% 6.08%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.56% 0.42% 28.57%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.81% 0.83% -2.44%
Two or More Races 2.03% 1.41% 36.05%
Hispanic 2.36% 1.55% 41.43%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Manning was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Manning, please contact us.

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Manning last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 14, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/manning-surname-popularity/.

"Manning last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/manning-surname-popularity/. Accessed 14 October, 2024

Manning last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/manning-surname-popularity/.

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