Manuel is a masculine given name originating in the Hebrew name Immanuel (עִמָּנוּאֵל), which means "God with us." It was reportedly brought from the Byzantine Empire (as Μανουήλ) to Western Europe, mainly Germany, Portugal and Spain, where it has been used since at least the 13th century. The name is popular in Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Romanian, Greek (Latinised as Manolis), Polish, and Dutch.
Manny, Manolo, Manel, Mael or Manu are often used as nicknames. Its feminine variant is Manuela.
Contents
Middle Ages
Manuel I Komnenos (1118–1180)
Manuel II Palaiologos (1350–1425)
Manuel I of Trebizond (1218–1263)
Manuel II of Trebizond (1324–1333)
Manuel III of Trebizond (1364–1417)
Manuel I of Portugal (1469–1521)
Infante Manuel, Count of Ourém, Portuguese prince, son of Peter II of Portugal
Manuel of Castile (1234–1283), son of Ferdinand III of Castile
Manuel I, patriarch of Constantinople in 1216–22
Manuel II, patriarch of Constantinople in 1244–55
Manuel Christonymos, birth name of Patriarch Maximus III of Constantinople, reigned 1476–1482
Early modern
Manuel da Nóbrega (1517–1570), Portuguese Jesuit and missionary in the early Colonial Brazil
Manuel, Prince of Portugal (1531–1537), son of John III of Portugal
Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage (1765–1805), Portuguese poet
Manuel Cardoso (composer) (1566–1650), Portuguese composer
Manuel Belgrano (1770–1820), Argentine politician and military leader during the Argentine War of Independence
Manuel Pardo (politician) (1834–1878), Peruvian politician
Manuel Pinto da Fonseca (1681–1773), Portuguese nobleman and Grand Master of the Order of Malta
Modern given name
Patriarchs of Lisbon
Manuel II, 14th cardinal-patriarch of Lisbon (1929–71)
Manuel III, 17th cardinal-patriarch of Lisbon (2013–23)
Manuel II of Portugal (1889–1932), the last King of Portugal (1908–1910)
Manuel Agogo (born 1979), Ghanaian football player
Manuel Aguiar (1930–2009), Goan singer and tiatrist.
Manuel Alegre (born 1936), Portuguese poet and politician
Manny Aparicio (born 1995), Canadian football player
Manuel Alfonso Andrade Oropeza (born 1989), Mexican professional wrestler known as "Andrade"
Manuel Antonio de Varona (1908–1992), Cuban lawyer and politician
Manuel Artime (1932–1977), Cuban anti-Fidel Castro Guerilla
Manuel de Blas (born 1941), Spanish actor
Manuel Bandeira (1886–1968), Brazilian writer
Manuel Bihr (born 1993), Thai footballer
Manuel Caballero (1931–2010), Venezuelan historian
Manuel Campos (canoeist) (born 1985), Spanish marathon canoeist
Manuel Cortés Quero (1906–1991), Spanish politician
Surname
Byron "Piri Piri" Manuel (born c.1956), Zimbabwean footballer at Black Aces FC in Harare
Charlie Manuel (born 1944), American baseball player, coach and manager
EJ Manuel (born 1990), American football player
Herman E. Manuel (1849–1918), American politician
Jacques-Antoine Manuel (1775–1827), French politician
Jerry Manuel (born 1953), American baseball manager
John Manuel (writer), baseball writer and scout
John G. Manuel, Canadian First World War flying ace
Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena (1232–1328), Spanish noble and medieval writer, son of Infante Manuel of Castile
Laurent Manuel (born 1986), American association football (soccer) player
Louis Pierre Manuel (1751–1793), political figure of the French Revolution
Niklaus Manuel (c.1484–1530), Swiss painter
Peter Manuel (1927–1958), American-born Scottish serial killer
Peter Manuel (umpire) (born 1950), Sri Lankan cricket umpire
Richard Manuel (1943–1986), Canadian composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist with The Band
Fictional characters
Manuel (Fawlty Towers), waiter in the BBC TV sitcom
Manny Calavera, protagonist of the adventure game Grim Fandango
Manuel de la Rocha (Empath), a Marvel Comics character
Manuel Tijuana Guadalajara Tampico "Go-Go" Gomez, a character from UPA's Dick Tracy cartoon
Manny Heffley, a fictional character in the children's book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Manny Pardo, a hard-boiled detective in the game Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (based on serial killer Manny Pardo)
Manuel Alberto Javier Alejandro "Manny" Delgado, a character from the ABC TV sitcom Modern Family