Given name & surname · also Sanskrit
Mani
“the jewel is in the lotus”·“from the mountain”
Mani is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “the jewel is in the lotus” (Sanskrit) and “from the mountain” (African). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “the jewel is in the lotus” (Sanskrit) and “from the mountain” (African). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Sanskrit.
How it developed
It comes from the Sanskrit word mani, meaning “jewel, and.”
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1991. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mani through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 138
- 128 boys · 10 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 13 babies
- 2025
- 13
- #6,675 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 13 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 6,675 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,888 as a first name in 2020; 3,044 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.
Mani’s family of names
Mani has a related form in Many. Mani has a related form in Manie. Mani has a related form in Manee.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 6
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Mani
- Mani RatnamIndian film directorborn 1955
- Mani KaulIndian film director of Hindi films (1944-2011)1942–2011
- Mani Madhava ChakyarIndian actor (1899–1990)
- Mani HaghighiIranian film director, screenwriter and actorborn 1969
- Mani Shankar AiyarPermanent Ambassador of Pakistan to Indiaborn 1941
- Mani SharmaIndian composerborn 1964
- Mani HussainiNorwegian politicianborn 1987
- Mani Lal BhaumikAmerican physicistborn 1931
- Mani NouriIranian actorborn 1901
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Mani, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Bahari
“a man of the sea”
>99% boys
Jiri
“from the fruitful forest” · “one who works the earth; a farmer”
>99% boys
Arjun
Arjun is used as a given name and a surname. One Sanskrit interpretation is “white: the colour of dawn, lightning, milk, and silver.”
>99% boys
Azi
“one who is youthful”
>99% boys
Masud
“a fortunate man”
>99% boys
Menelik
“the son of a wise man”
>99% boys
Hari
“resembling a lion”
95% boys · 5% girls
Tumaini
“an optimist”
>99% boys