Emmanuel

We all know, regardless of our religion, that Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Christ was not his last name, but another word for Messiah. Yet, there's another name used for the Messiah that's similar in ending to classic Daniel and Samuel. That name is Emmanuel.

Before Jesus's birth, the people called the common Messiah Emmanuel. It made sense because the name means "God is with us." The meanings of names really mattered in the Bible. For instance, God named the first man Adam because it meant "man" and the first woman Eve because it meant "mother of all the living."

Many Christians would be familiar with the song "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." That song is based on the Biblical story mentioned above. 

As with many Biblical names, Emmanuel entered widespread use among English speakers in the sixteenth century. According to Elea on British Baby Names, it went on to rank among the top 200 names in Victorian England. Five saints also wore the name in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. However, Emmanuel was not in consistent use in the United States before 1910. It remained rare until the late-1940s. Afterward, Emmanuel rose until it started hovering around the top 200 in the mid-1980s. At first, Emmanuel ranked below the top 200 but it moved above that mark after 2000. 

Since Emmanuel hovered around the top 200 for over thirty years, would it be a new classic? It actually has enough history to be timeless despite its recent emergence among Americans. Besides, Emmanuel has more history in other languages, especially French. It was in the French top 200 since 1900. Plus, as with many elaborate classics, Emmanuel has several nickname options like feminine "Emmy" and masculine "Manny".

Emmanuel will appeal to those who love names that are classic, French, or Biblical names along with Christians and Christmas fans. 

NAME STYLES:

Biblical, Elaborate, French, Saintly, Timeless

SISTERS:

Abigail, Phoebe, Evangeline, Isabella, Damaris, Trinity, Juliette, Serena

BROTHERS:

Dominic, Alexander, Gabriel, Sebastian, Leonardo, Elias, Vincent, Xavier

ALTERNATIVES:

Adriel, Eliam, Emile, Ishmael, Jedidiah, Marcel, Pascal, Raphael

What do you think about Emmanuel?