UK boy's name
Immanuel
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "God 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.
Immanuel is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Immanuel popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1322, with 20 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2014, with 26 births.
This profile covers 429 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. 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 77% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 426 living people in the UK are called Immanuel. 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
- • Immanuel ranked #1322 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 20 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2014, when 26 boys were registered as Immanuel.
- • About 426 living people in the UK are estimated to have Immanuel as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1322
2024
Births in 2024
20
Latest year
Peak year
2014
26 births
Estimated living
426
2026
Meaning
What does Immanuel mean?
The name Immanuel is rooted in ancient Hebrew origins, derived from two words: "Immanu" meaning "with us" and "El" referring to God. This composite name translates to "God with us" or "God is with us." It first appeared in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the Book of Isaiah, where it is prophesied as a symbolic name for the Messiah.
In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, the name Immanuel is associated with Jesus Christ, as the Gospel of Matthew refers to him as the fulfillment of the prophecy from Isaiah. This connection solidified the name's significance within the Christian tradition, where it came to represent the belief in the divine nature of Jesus as both human and the incarnation of God.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Immanuel can be found in the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, known as the Septuagint, dating back to the 3rd century BCE. Over the centuries, various spellings and variations of the name emerged, including Emmanuele, Emanuel, and Emmanuel, reflecting the linguistic influences of different regions and languages.
Historically, several notable figures have borne the name Immanuel. One of the earliest was Immanuel ben Jacob (c. 1268-1335), a celebrated Jewish philosopher and scholar from Catalonia, Spain. Another prominent figure was Immanuel Tremellius (1510-1580), an Italian Renaissance scholar and Hebrew linguist who contributed to the translation of the Bible into Latin.
In the realm of philosophy, Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), the renowned German philosopher, is perhaps the most famous bearer of the name. His groundbreaking works, such as the "Critique of Pure Reason," had a profound impact on modern Western philosophy and epistemology.
Another significant figure was Immanuel Velikovsky (1895-1979), a Russian-born Jewish scholar who challenged conventional theories in the fields of astronomy, ancient history, and catastrophism, sparking controversies and debates within the scientific community.
Immanuel Jakobovits (1921-1999), born in Germany, was a prominent Orthodox Rabbi who served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1967 to 1980, making important contributions to Jewish life and interfaith relations in the United Kingdom.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Immanuel over time
The chart below shows babies named Immanuel 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 Immanuel, the clearest high point is 2014. The latest England and Wales figure is 20 births in 2024, compared with 26 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Immanuel by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Immanuel 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 | #1411 | 94 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1454 | 175 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1434 | 135 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1775 | 25 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Immanuel
- Isaac 49,129
- Ibrahim 14,115
- Ismail 4,679
- Isaiah 4,629
- Idris 3,810
- Ivan 3,146
- Isa 2,943
- Ian 2,805
- Ilyas 2,552
- Ieuan 2,515
- Ibraheem 2,384
- Ioan 2,295
FAQ
Immanuel: questions and answers
How popular is the name Immanuel in the UK right now?
In 2024, Immanuel was ranked #1322 for boys in England and Wales, with 20 births registered.
When was Immanuel most popular?
The peak year on record was 2014, with 26 babies registered as Immanuel in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Immanuel?
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "God with us".
How many people are called Immanuel in the UK?
A total of 429 babies have been registered as Immanuel across the 29 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.