Meaning & origin
A reliable meaning for Manabu isn’t established in our sources yet. Rather than guess, we show what is recorded: how the name is used, how often, and the names it’s connected to.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1920. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Manabu through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 19
- 19 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1924
- 7 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 1925. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 7 in 1924. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 193 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Manabu’s family of names
In Japanese usage, Manabu is a Roman-alphabet rendering of 学. In Japanese usage, Manabu is a Roman-alphabet rendering of 愛.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: across languages.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Manabu
- Manabu SaitōJapanese association football playerborn 1990
- Manabu IkedaJapanese association football playerborn 1980
- Manabu KomatsubaraJapanese association football playerborn 1981
- Manabu NakamuraJapanese association football playerborn 1977
- Manabu HoriiJapanese speed skater and politicianborn 1972
- Manabu WatanabeJapanese association football playerborn 1986
- Manabu MinamiJapanese association football playerborn 1988
- Manabu KonnoJapanese association football playerborn 1974
- Manabu MabeJapanese painter (1924-1997)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Manabu, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Margarito
“resembling a pearl”
>99% boys
Manning
“daughter of Man” · “the son of the man; the son of the hero”
95% boys · 5% girls
Mahlon
“one who is sick”
98% boys · 2% girls
Murray
“the lord of the sea”
86% boys · 14% girls
Armond
“of the army; a soldier”
>99% boys
Gennaro
“born of Janus”
>99% boys
Merle
“resembling a blackbird”
98% boys · 2% girls
Domenick
“a lord”
>99% boys