Manuel is a masculine given name originating in the Hebrew name Immanuel (עִמָּנוּאֵל), which means "God with us."[1][better source needed] It was reportedly brought from the Byzantine Empire (as Μανουήλ) to Western Europe, mainly Germany, Portugal and Spain, where it has been used since at least the 13th century.[2] The name is popular in Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Romanian, Greek (Latinised as Manolis), Polish, and Dutch.[citation needed]
Manny or Manu are often used as nicknames. Its feminine variant is Manuela.
- Patriarchs of Lisbon
- Manuel II, 14th. cardinal-patriarch of Lisbon (1929–71)
- Manuel III, 17th. cardinal-patriarch of Lisbon (since 2013)
- Manuel II of Portugal (1889–1932), the last King of Portugal (1908–1910)
- Manuel Agogo (born 1979), Ghanaian football player
- Manuel Aguiar(1930-2009), Goan singer and tiatrist.
- Manuel Alegre (born 1936), Portuguese poet and politician
- Manny Aparicio (born 1995), Canadian football player
- Manuel Alfonso Andrade Oropeza (born 1989), Mexican professional wrestler known as "Andrade"
- Manuel de Blas (born 1941), Spanish actor
- Manuel Bandeira (1886–1968), Brazilian writer
- Manuel Bihr (born 1993), Thai footballer
- Manuel Caballero (1931–2010), Venezuelan historian
- Manuel Cortés Quero (1906-1991), Spanish politician
- Manuel Cuevas (born 1933), Mexican fashion designer
- Manuel Dabreu, American electrical engineer
- Manuel Dubrulle (born 1972), French badminton player
- Manuel Elizalde Sr., Filipino businessman, polo player and sports patron
- Manuel Elizalde Jr. (1936–1997), Filipino businessman
- Manuel de Falla (1876–1946) Spanish composer
- Manuel Ferrara (born 1975), French pornographic actor and director
- Manuel Fettner (born 1985), Austrian ski jumper
- Manuel Gava (born 1991), Italian-born German politician
- Manuel Teixeira Gomes (1860–1941), Portuguese politician and writer, 7th President of Portugal
- Manuel Göttsching (1952–2022), German musician, member of Ash Ra Tempel
- Manuel Hassassian (born 1953), Armenian-Palestinian professor
- Manuel Jiménez Díaz (1929–1960), Spanish bullfighter
- Manuel Jiménez Moreno (1902–1967), Spanish bullfighter
- Manuel Lanzini (born 1993), Argentine footballer
- Manuel Litzke (born 1999), Austrian politician
- Manuel Locatelli (born 1998), Italian footballer
- Manuel Loff (born 1965), Portuguese politician
- Manuel Machata (born 1984), German bobsledder and World Champion of 2011
- Manuel Mamikonian (fl. 4th century), Armenian general and ruler
- Manuel Merino (born 1961), Peruvian politician and current president of Peru
- Manuel Morales (basketball) (born 1987), Peruvian basketball player
- Manuel Moroun (1927–2020), American businessman
- Manuel Neuer (born 1986), German football goalkeeper
- Manuel Noriega (1934–2017), Panamanian dictator and criminal
- Manoel de Oliveira (1908–2015), Portuguese film director
- Manuel V. Pangilinan (born 1946), Filipino businessman
- Manuel "Manny" Pardo (1956-2012), American serial killer and former police officer
- Manuel Pardo (governor) (1774–??), Spanish soldier and governor
- Manuel Pellegrini (born 1953), Chilean football manager
- Manuel Pinho (born 1954), Portuguese politician and economist
- Manuel Poppinger (born 1989), Austrian ski jumper
- Manuel L. Quezon (1878–1944), first President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines
- Manny Ramírez (born 1972), Dominican-American Major League Baseball player
- Manuel Rivera-Ortiz (born 1968), American photographer
- Manuel Rocha (born 1950), American diplomat
- Manuel Roxas (1892–1948), first President of the Third Philippine Republic
- Manuel "Mar" Roxas II (born 1957), Filipino politician, grandson of Manuel Roxas
- Manuel Sanhouse (born 1975), Venezuelan football goalkeeper
- Manuel Seco (1928–2021), Spanish lexicographer
- Manuel Sosa (judge) (born 1950), Belizean jurist
- Manuel Tenenbaum (1934–2016), Uruguayan educator, historian and philanthropist
- Manuel Uribe (1965–2014), Mexican who was at one time considered to be the heaviest man in the world
- Manuel & the Music of the Mountains, pseudonym of composer/arranger Geoff Love (1917–1991)
- Byron "Piri Piri" Manuel (born c.1956), Zimbabwean footballer at Black Aces FC in Harare
- Charlie Manuel (born 1944), American baseball player, coach and manager
- EJ Manuel (born 1990), American football player
- Herman E. Manuel (1849–1918), American politician
- Jacques-Antoine Manuel (1775–1827), French politician
- Jerry Manuel (born 1953), American baseball manager
- John Manuel (writer), baseball writer and scout
- John G. Manuel, Canadian First World War flying ace
- Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena (1232–1328), Spanish noble and medieval writer, son of Infante Manuel of Castile
- Laurent Manuel (born 1986), American association football (soccer) player
- Louis Pierre Manuel (1751–1793), political figure of the French Revolution
- Niklaus Manuel (c.1484–1530), Swiss painter
- Peter Manuel (1927–1958), American-born Scottish serial killer
- Richard Manuel (1943–1986), Canadian composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist with The Band
- Rob Manuel (born 1973), English developer/producer of humorous/miscellaneous web content
- Roby Manuel (1895–1975), Australian aviator
- Rod Manuel (born 1974), American football player
- Simone Manuel (born 1996), American swimmer
- Vic Manuel (born 1987), Filipino basketball player
Fictional characters
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