NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Imanuel

A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is with us".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2021. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Imanuel is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Imanuel popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2021 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4789, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2018, with 4 births.

This profile covers 10 England and Wales registrations across 3 recorded years from 2002 to 2021. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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 75% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 10 living people in the UK are called Imanuel. 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 2022 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Imanuel ranked #4789 for boys in England and Wales in 2021, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2018, when 4 boys were registered as Imanuel.
  • About 10 living people in the UK are estimated to have Imanuel as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4789

2021

Births in 2021

3

Latest year

Peak year

2018

4 births

Estimated living

10

2026

Meaning

What does Imanuel mean?

The name Imanuel has its origins in Hebrew and is a variation of the name Emmanuel, which means "God is with us." The name can be traced back to the Old Testament of the Bible, where it is mentioned in the Book of Isaiah as a prophecy foretelling the birth of the Messiah.

In the New Testament, the name Emmanuel is given to Jesus Christ, as stated in the Gospel of Matthew. The Greek spelling of the name, Emmanouel, was later transliterated into Latin as Immanuel, which eventually led to the spelling variation Imanuel.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Imanuel was Imanuel ben Solomon, a 14th-century Italian Hebrew poet and scholar. He was born in Rome around 1270 and is known for his works in Hebrew poetry and biblical exegesis.

In the 16th century, Imanuel Tremellius, an Italian Renaissance scholar and Hebraist, gained prominence for his translations of the Bible from Hebrew into Latin. He was born in Ferrara, Italy, in 1510 and died in 1580.

Another notable figure with the name Imanuel was Imanuel Velikovsky, a Russian-born pseudoscientist and author who proposed controversial theories about ancient history and the cosmos. He was born in 1895 in Vitebsk, Russian Empire (now Belarus), and died in 1979 in the United States.

In the 20th century, Imanuel Kant, a German philosopher and one of the most influential thinkers of the Enlightenment, was a prominent bearer of the name. He was born in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia) in 1724 and died in 1804.

Imanuel Geiss, a German historian and political scientist, was also a notable figure. He was born in 1931 in Berlin and made significant contributions to the study of international relations and the history of diplomacy.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the name Imanuel, a name with deep roots in religious and cultural traditions, and one that has been borne by scholars, philosophers, and other influential figures across various fields and time periods.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Imanuel over time

The chart below shows babies named Imanuel registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2002 to 2021. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Imanuel, the clearest high point is 2018. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2021, compared with 4 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Imanuel
01234200220112021

Decades

Imanuel by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Imanuel 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 #4789 3 1
2010s #3959 4 1
2000s #3225 3 1

Related

Names similar to Imanuel

FAQ

Imanuel: questions and answers

How popular is the name Imanuel in the UK right now?

In 2021, Imanuel was ranked #4789 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Imanuel most popular?

The peak year on record was 2018, with 4 babies registered as Imanuel in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Imanuel?

A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is with us".

How many people are called Imanuel in the UK?

A total of 10 babies have been registered as Imanuel across the 3 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

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.