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.

Before Jesus' birth, the people called the coming Messiah Emmanuel. It made sense because the name means "God is with us." The meanings of names really mattered in biblical times. 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."

"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," a hymn obviously inspired by the biblical reference described above, is familiar to many Christians.

As with many biblical names, Emmanuel entered widespread use among English speakers in the sixteenth century. According to Elea on British Baby Names, it ranked among the top 200 names in Victorian England. Five saints also bore the name during 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 has been hovering around the top 200 for over thirty-five years, is it a new classic? It actually has enough history to be a time-tested classic despite its recent emergence among Americans. Besides, Emmanuel has more history in other nations, especially France, where it was in the 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, along with Christians and Christmas fans. 


POPULARITY: #101-250


NOTABLE REAL-LIFE NAMESAKES:

  • Saint Emmanuel (d. 304)
  • Canadian politician Emmanuel Dubourg (1958-)
  • American actor Emmanuel Lewis (1971-)
  • American football player Emmanuel Sanders (1987-)
  • Congolese-American basketball player Emmanuel Mudiay (1996-)

VARIANTS: Emanuel, Immanuel, Manuel

NICKNAMES: Emmy, Manny


SISTERS: Abigail, Charity, Evangeline, Genevieve, Isabella, Maria, Phoebe, Serena, Tabitha

BROTHERS: Alexander, Dominic, Elijah, Gabriel, Josiah, Leonardo, Michael, Sebastian, Vincent, Xavier


ALTERNATIVES: Adriel, Eliam, Emerick, Emile, Ishmael, Jedidiah, Marcel, Maximilian, Pascal, Raphael


NAME LISTS: Biblical Boys' Names, French Boys' Names, Top 100 "E" Boys' Names


FURTHER RESOURCES:

"Emmanuel." Names, Behind the Name, 6 Oct. 2024, https://www.behindthename.com/name/emmanuel.

Redmond, Pamela. "Emmanuel." Names, Nameberry, 10 Dec. 2025, https://nameberry.com/b/boy-baby-name-emmanuel.


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