UK boy's name
Emmanuel
A masculine given name originating from Hebrew meaning "God is with us".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Emmanuel is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Emmanuel popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #242, with 204 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2007, with 294 births.
This profile covers 5,491 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 69% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 5,558 living people in the UK are called Emmanuel. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Emmanuel ranked #242 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 204 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2007, when 294 boys were registered as Emmanuel.
- • Emmanuel ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #398 in 2014.
- • About 5,558 living people in the UK are estimated to have Emmanuel as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#242
2024
Births in 2024
204
Latest year
Peak year
2007
294 births
Estimated living
5,558
2026
Meaning
What does Emmanuel mean?
The name Emmanuel has its origins in Hebrew, deriving from the combination of two words: "Immanu" meaning "with us" and "El" meaning "God". This translates to "God with us" or "God is with us". The name can be traced back to ancient Hebrew texts and scriptures, particularly the Old Testament, where it is mentioned as a symbolic name given to the promised Messiah.
In the Bible's Book of Isaiah, Emmanuel is referred to as a child who would be born to a virgin and would be a sign of God's presence among his people. This prophecy was later interpreted by Christians as referring to Jesus Christ, leading to the widespread adoption of the name Emmanuel in Christian cultures.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Emmanuel can be found in various ancient texts and records dating back to the first century AD. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Emmanuel, a Roman soldier who lived during the reign of Emperor Nero in the 1st century AD.
Throughout history, the name Emmanuel has been borne by numerous notable figures, including:
1. Emmanuel the Great, a Byzantine Emperor who ruled from 1361 to 1425, known for his efforts to reunite the Eastern and Western Christian churches. 2. Emmanuel Swedenborg, a Swedish philosopher, scientist, and mystic who lived from 1688 to 1772, renowned for his influential theological works. 3. Emmanuel Kant, a German philosopher from the 18th century (1724-1804), widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of the Enlightenment period. 4. Emmanuel Lévinas, a French philosopher and Talmudic scholar who lived from 1906 to 1995, known for his work in ethics and phenomenology. 5. Emmanuel Macron, the current President of France, born in 1977, who took office in 2017.
The name Emmanuel has maintained its significance across various cultures and religions, particularly in Christianity, where it symbolizes the belief in the divine presence of God among humanity. Its enduring popularity can be attributed to its deep-rooted biblical and historical associations, making it a name with rich cultural and spiritual significance.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Emmanuel over time
The chart below shows babies named Emmanuel registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Emmanuel, the clearest high point is 2007. The latest England and Wales figure is 204 births in 2024, compared with 294 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Emmanuel by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Emmanuel was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #303 | 782 | 5 |
| 2010s | #251 | 2,118 | 10 |
| 2000s | #197 | 2,123 | 10 |
| 1990s | #249 | 468 | 4 |
Geography
Where Emmanuel is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Emmanuel. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Emmanuel ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #398 in 2014.
Across the UK
Emmanuel in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#727 in 2024
18 years of NRS records, 94 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#398 in 2014
4 years of NISRA records, 13 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Emmanuel
-
Emmanuel Fernandez
association football player
English professional footballer who plays for Peterborough United, as a defender
2001-
-
Emmanuel Iyogun
rugby union player
English rugby union player
2000-
-
Emmanuel Longelo
association football player
English association football player
2000-
-
Emmanuel Sonupe
association football player
English footballer (born 1996)
1996-
-
Emmanuel Dieseruvwe
association football player
English footballer
1995-
-
Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee
composer; musician; film director; film producer; religious leader; spiritual teacher; magazine editor
British Sufi filmmaker, musician (1979-)
1979-
-
Emmanuel Omoyinmi
association football player
English footballer (born 1977)
1977-
-
Emmanuel Rayner
writer; chess player; reviewer; humorist
British chess player (1958-)
1958-
Related
Names similar to Emmanuel
- Ethan 77,394
- Edward 53,212
- Elliot 23,450
- Elijah 22,369
- Ellis 19,358
- Elliott 16,964
- Evan 14,535
- Ezra 11,838
- Ewan 10,685
- Eli 8,126
- Elias 7,049
- Eric 6,654
FAQ
Emmanuel: questions and answers
How popular is the name Emmanuel in the UK right now?
In 2024, Emmanuel was ranked #242 for boys in England and Wales, with 204 births registered.
When was Emmanuel most popular?
The peak year on record was 2007, with 294 babies registered as Emmanuel in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Emmanuel?
A masculine given name originating from Hebrew meaning "God is with us".
How many people are called Emmanuel in the UK?
A total of 5,491 babies have been registered as Emmanuel across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 94 more in Scotland and 13 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Emmanuel most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Emmanuel ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #398 in 2014. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.