Given name & surname
Manu
“the second-born child”
Manu is used as a given name and a surname. One African interpretation is “the second-born child.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One African interpretation is “the second-born child.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is African.
How it developed
In Spanish usage, Manu is a diminutive of Manuel. In English usage, Manu is a short form of Emmanuel.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1972. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In French use, Manu is a diminutive 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
Manu through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 706
- 701 boys · 5 girls
- Most popular year
- 2006
- 27 babies
- 2025
- 23
- #4,486 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +22%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 23 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,486 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 22.1% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 27 in 2006. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,906 as a first name in 2020; 1,580 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.
Manu’s family of names
In French usage, Manu is a diminutive of Manuel. In Finnish usage, Manu has a conventional equivalent in the English form Emmanuel. In French usage, Manu is a diminutive of Emmanuel.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Manu has relatives in 4 languages.
7 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 10
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Emmanuelfull form · French, English
- Manuelfull form · French, Spanish
- Immanuelshort form · Finnish
- Manuelafull form · French
- Manuellafull form · French
- Manoovariant
- Manouvariant
- Manuevariant
Show 2 moreShow fewer
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Manu
- Manu TriguerosSpanish footballerborn 1991
- Manu ChaoSpanish musicianborn 1961
- Manu DibangoCameroonian musician and songwriter, recording artist (1933–2020)
- Manu BhakerIndian sport shooterborn 2002
- Manu KonéFrench footballer (born 2001)
- Manu BennettNew Zealand actorborn 1969
- Manu del MoralSpanish footballerborn 1984
- Manu GarcíaSpanish footballer (born 1998)
- ManuSlovene singer, author and record producerborn 1989
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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