2000
#1,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,227
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.98
Uncommon Last name
Manuel
A surname of Hebrew origin meaning "God is with us," or of Spanish origin meaning "God's gift."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,583 Americans carry the last name Manuel. That puts it at #1,288 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,207 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Manuel 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 Manuel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
31K
1 in 11,207
Census rank
#1,288
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
27K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,670 bearers of the surname Manuel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1288th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Manuel, the largest self-reported group is White at 36.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.0%) and Hispanic (15.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Manuel
The surname MANUEL is of Spanish origin, derived from the given name Manuel, which ultimately traces its roots back to the Hebrew name Emmanu'el, meaning "God is with us." The name first emerged in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MANUEL surname can be found in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript from Santiago de Compostela, which mentions a certain "Petrus Manuel" among the pilgrims who visited the city. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the MANUEL surname gained prominence in various parts of Spain, particularly in the regions of Castile, Andalusia, and Aragon. It was often associated with noble families and prominent figures in the Spanish court.
One notable bearer of the MANUEL surname was Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena (1282-1349), a renowned Spanish nobleman, writer, and military leader. His literary work, "El Conde Lucanor," is considered a masterpiece of Spanish prose and a significant contribution to medieval literature.
Another prominent figure with the MANUEL surname was Gaspar Manuel (1629-1679), a Portuguese poet and playwright who played a crucial role in the development of Portuguese baroque literature. His works, such as "Viriato Trágico" and "Desenganado," were highly influential in their time.
In the 16th century, the MANUEL surname also spread to the Americas through Spanish colonization. One example is Tomás Manuel de Anchorena (1783-1847), an Argentine landowner and politician who played a significant role in the country's independence movement.
The MANUEL surname has also been associated with several notable figures in the arts and sciences. For instance, Juan Manuel Blanes (1830-1901) was a renowned Uruguayan painter known for his depictions of historical events and landscapes, while Juan Manuel Cajigal (1803-1856) was a distinguished Cuban poet and playwright.
Throughout its history, the MANUEL surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Manoel, Manuell, and Manouel, reflecting regional differences and linguistic influences. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, tracing back to its Hebrew roots and the notion of "God being with us."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Manuel
Among Census respondents with the surname Manuel, the largest self-reported group is White at 36.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.0%) and Hispanic (15.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Manuel 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 Manuel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White36.7% · 9,776
- Black or African American26.0% · 6,936
- Hispanic or Latino15.0% · 4,006
- Asian and Pacific Islander15.0% · 3,988
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,163
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.0% · 801
Timeline
Historical Census data for Manuel
Manuel 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
#1,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,529
+3,302 bearers (+13.6%)
Per 100,000 9.33
Rank movement Up 60 places
2020
#1,288
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,670
-859 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 8.92
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,337 | 24,227 | 8.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,277 | 27,529 | 9.33 | +3,302 bearers (+13.6%) | Up 60 places |
| 2020 | #1,288 | 26,670 | 8.92 | -859 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 11 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 Manuel 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 | #1,277 | #1,288 | -0.9% |
| Count | 27,529 | 26,670 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 9.33 | 8.92 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Manuel bearers went from 27,529 to 26,670 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,277 to #1,288.
FAQ
Manuel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Manuel?
Name Census estimates that about 30,583 living Americans carry the surname Manuel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,207 residents.
How common is Manuel?
Manuel ranks #1,288 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,670 people with the surname Manuel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,583), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Manuel.
Has Manuel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Manuel went from 27,529 recorded bearers to 26,670. That is a decrease of 859 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,277 to #1,288.
What does the Census say about the background of Manuel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Manuel, the largest self-reported group is White at 36.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.0%) and Hispanic (15.0%). 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 Manuel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 36.7% (9,776 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Manuel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (36.7%), Black (26.0%), Hispanic (15.0%). 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 Manuel (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 Manuel mean?
A surname of Hebrew origin meaning "God is with us," or of Spanish origin meaning "God's gift." 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 Manuel (8.92 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 Americans have the surname Manuel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.