Girl · #2,253 in 2026

Manuela

Name: Popularity of the name Manuela in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Manuela, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Manuela or Manuéla is a feminine Portuguese, Spanish and Italian given name. The name is a variant of the masculine "Manuel", which is in turn derived from the Hebrew name "Emanuel", meaning "God is with us".

Spanish
Portuguese
Romanian
German

Current Rank

#2,253

Peak Rank

#486 (1924)

Total Babies

11K

5-Yr Trend

+3%

1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

1924

Peak Year

#486

Peak Rank

11K

Total Count

147

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Manuela

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

Spanish
Portuguese
Romanian
German
Italian
French

The Story of Manuela

American parents first put Manuela on the record books as a baby girl name in 1880, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1924, when 202 Manuelas were born — ranking #488 that year. As of 2026, Manuela ranks #2,253 for baby girls with 83 births, holding steady (+3%). All told, over 11K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Variants & Related Forms of Manuela

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Manuela. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Manuela

Phonetically similar names — useful when Manuela is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Manuell
Mantilla
Manzella
Manwell
Mamula
Mancilla
Mineola
Minneola
Meanwhile
Mandela
Manuel
Manila

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Manuela

What does the name Manuela mean?

What is the origin of the name Manuela?

Manuela has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, German, Italian, French.

How popular is Manuela in 2026?

In 2026, Manuela ranks #2,253 among girls' names in the U.S., with 83 babies given the name that year.

When was Manuela most popular?

Manuela reached its peak popularity in 1924, ranking #486 that year with 202 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Manuela most popular?

Manuela has historically been most popular in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Manuela.

Is Manuela a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Manuela is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Manuela?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Manuela include Elenora, Roseanna, Coral. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Manuela?

Common variants and related forms of Manuela include Emanuela, Manola, Manu, Manuelita, Manuella, Nela. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Manuela

Manuela is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 11K births in the dataset. Manuela's peak popularity came in 1924 when it ranked #486. Use the chart and map above to compare Manuela's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.