Emmanuel
Meaning of Emmanuel
Emmanuel comes from the Hebrew name Immanuel, meaning "God is with us." In the Book of Isaiah it is the name of a child whose birth is foretold as a sign, and the Gospel of Matthew applies it to Jesus. In English it is pronounced ee-MAN-yoo-el, in French ay-mah-NWEL and in Spanish eh-mahn-WELL.
The name is familiar from the Advent hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," sung in the weeks before Christmas. Its best-known bearer today is French President Emmanuel Macron, in office since 2017.
In the U.S., Emmanuel climbed quickly in the 1980s, from 398th in 1980 to 192nd in 1987. It was given most often in 2008, to 2,862 babies, and reached its highest rank, 144th, in 2009. In 2025 it ranked 179th, with 2,035 babies.
Pronunciation
French
- Pronunced as ay-mah-NWEL (/e.ma.nwɛl/)
English
- Pronunced as ee-MAN-yoo-el (/iˈmæn.ju.ɛl/)
Spanish
- Pronunced as eh-mahn-WELL (/e.man.ˈwel/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Emmanuel
| Emmanuel Macron, founder of the Renaissance party and former economy minister, has served as President of France and co prince of Andorra since 2017. |
| Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor is a Togolese former striker who played for Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham, Real Madrid, and clubs in France, Turkey, Paraguay, and Togo. |
| Emmanuel Niamiah Sanders is a former NFL wide receiver who played 12 seasons, starred at SMU, was a 2010 third-round pick by the Steelers, won Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos, and also played for the 49ers, Saints, and Bills. |
| Emmanuel Rodríguez - Emmanuel Rodriguez Vazquez is a Puerto Rican boxer who twice held the IBF bantamweight title and won flyweight gold at the 2010 Youth Olympics. |
| Emmanuel Pahud is a renowned French and Swiss flutist. |
| Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès - Abbe Sieyes was a French priest and political thinker whose pamphlet What Is the Third Estate helped spark the French Revolution, and he later helped bring Napoleon to power and served in the Consulate and the First Empire. |
| Emmanuel Jal is a South Sudanese Canadian artist, actor, and author, a former child soldier turned political activist whose memoir War Child was published in 2009. |
| Emmanuel Todd is a French historian and social scientist at the National Institute of Demographic Studies in Paris, known for linking global family structures to beliefs and politics and for political essays widely covered in France. |
| Emmanuel Kabeya Mudiay is a Congolese American basketball player who starred in Texas high schools, chose China over SMU, and was drafted seventh by the Denver Nuggets in 2015. |
| Emmanuel Chinedum Acho is an American sports analyst for FS1 and a former NFL linebacker. |
| Emmanuel Petit is a French former defensive midfielder who won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with France, scored in the World Cup Final, and starred for Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea. |
| Emmanuel David Mas Sgros is an Argentine left back for Juventud in the Uruguayan second division with eight international appearances for Argentina. |
| Emmanuel Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, Duke of Aiguillon, nephew of Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, was a French army officer and politician who served as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs under King Louis XV. |
| Emmanuel Bonaventure Dennis is a Nigerian football forward who is currently a free agent after leaving Nottingham Forest. |
| Jesús Emmanuel Arturo Acha Martinez is a Mexican singer with a career spanning five decades, 20 studio albums, over 10 million records sold, and lifetime achievement awards from Billboard Latin Music and the Latin Grammy Awards. |
