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Home › Baby Names Directory › Manuela

Manuela

♀ Girl

Pronounced ma-NWEH-la /ma.ˈnwe.la/Medium

Meaning: God is with usMedium

In 30 seconds: Manuela is the Spanish feminine form of Manuel, ultimately from the Hebrew Emmanuel, 'God is with us'.
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Origin MediumSpanish, Portuguese, Romanian
MeaningGod is with us
U.S. rank (2025)#2573 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births68 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1924
Total births (all-time)≈ 11,029

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192418802025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

The name descends from Emmanuel, the Hebrew Immanuel meaning 'God is with us', through its Spanish form Manuel. Manuela is the feminine, widely used across Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian-speaking regions. Its variations, including Manoela and Manuella, mostly reflect spelling differences across those languages.

Spellings such as Manuéla and Manuèla show the name traveling through different accent conventions, while the masculine Emanuel sits at the root of the whole group. Bearers include Olympic swimming champion Manuela Stellmach and water polo gold medalist Manuela Zanchi.

Did you know? The meaning usually attached to Manuela is 'God is with us', and that core idea is what gives the name most of its long-term appeal.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Manuela — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

ManoelaManuellaManuélaManuèlaEmanuel

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Manuela Stellmach (1970–present)
    East German freestyle swimmer, Olympic gold medalist in the 4x100 m relay at the 1988 Seoul Games.
  • ★Manuela Zanchi (1977–present)
    Italian water polo player, Olympic gold medalist with Italy at the 2004 Athens Games.

If you like Manuela…

Emanuel— The masculine root behind Manuela, meaning 'God is with us'
Manuel— The masculine name Manuela is the feminine of
Micaela— another Spanish name
Marcela— a fellow Portuguese choice
Marbella— echoes that soft -la sound

Explore names like Manuela

By themespanishportuguese
By meaningGod / Divine

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Manuela mean?

Manuela is usually explained as meaning 'God is with us' and is most often linked with Spanish tradition.

How do you pronounce Manuela?

It's commonly said ma-NWEH-la /ma.ˈnwe.la/.

Is Manuela a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Manuela is used as a girl name.

How popular is Manuela?

In 2024, Manuela ranked #2121 in the U.S. for girls, with 90 births recorded.

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