Given name & surname
Man
“God is with us”·“a man; a hero”·“protected by God”
In Jewish use, Man is an affectionate form of Emmanuel. One Hebrew interpretation is “God is with us.” Man is a variant of Mann. One English interpretation is “a man; a hero.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Jewish use, Man is an affectionate form of Emmanuel. One Hebrew interpretation is “God is with us.” Man is a variant of Mann. One English interpretation is “a man; a hero.” Man is a diminutive of Osman. One Scandinavian interpretation is “protected by God.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In Jewish use, Man is an affectionate form of Emmanuel. An origin associated with Emmanuel is Hebrew. Man is a variant of Mann. An origin associated with Mann is English. Man is a diminutive of Osman. An origin associated with Osman is Arabic.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
Man is a diminutive of Osman. Man is a diminutive of SELMAN.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1884. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In Jewish use, Man is an affectionate form of Emmanuel. The history of Emmanuel gives this family its wider story. Emmanuel appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Man through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 357
- 207 boys · 150 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 18 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −57%
- Cooling
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 16 in 2016. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 23,979 as a first name in 2020; 12,463 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Man’s family of names
Man is an affectionate form of Emmanuel. Man has a related form in Mann. Man is a diminutive of Osman.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Man has relatives in 3 languages.
4 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 12
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Show 4 moreShow fewer
People named Man
- Man RayAmerican and French visual artist (1890–1976)
- Man Kauraged Indian athlete1916–2021
- Li ManChinese actressborn 1988
- Sun ManChinese badminton playerborn 1968
- Dian Manson of Dian Wei
- Man SoodIndian cricketer (1939-2020)
- He Mancommander under the Yellow Turbans during the fall of the Han dynasty of China200–200
- Yang ManChinese association football playerborn 1995
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Man, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Seba
“drunkard”
>99% girls
Emanuela
“God is with us” · “one who is greatly loved”
>99% girls
Emanuella
“God is with us”
>99% girls
Abagail
“father of exaltation” · “the source of a father”
>99% girls
Iza
Iza is a feminine given name from Polish, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew. It is used in Polish, Hungarian, and Slovak.
3% boys · 97% girls
Maryam
Maryam is a feminine given name from Arabic, ultimately from Persian. It is used in English, Indonesian, and Malay.
>99% girls
Abbigail
“father of exaltation” · “the source of a father”
>99% girls
Rivkah
>99% girls