Emanuel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy
Israel

Etymology of Emanuel

What does the name Emanuel mean?

During the biblical era, a Jew held only one name. This name was joined with their father’s name typically using ‘ben’ (“son of”), to inform people who the individual’s family ties were.

Interestingly, the 4th century B.C. until the end of the Roman Empire it was quite common for Jews to have a Greek name rather than a Hebrew one. 1

The name Emanuel has the literal meaning "God is with us," from the Hebrew given name "Imanuel." The surname was also a French surname used in the Middle Ages by Christians in honor of a minor third century martyr. Most early European surnames were formed in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, though this process had started somewhat earlier and had continued in some places well into the 19th century, but the norm is that in the tenth and eleventh centuries peoples did not have surnames, whereas by the fifteenth century most of the population had acquired a second name. Emanuel I, also Manuel 'the Fortunate' (1469-1521) was the king of Portugal, and succeeded John II in 1495. His reign, marred by persecution and expelling of all Jews from Portugal, was, in some ways, however, that country's golden age. He prepared the code of laws which bears his name, and made his court a centre of chivalry, art and science. The discovery of Brazil and other expeditions, encouraged by Emanuel, did much to make Portugal the first naval power of Europe and the commercial centre of the continent.

Emanuel Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Emanuel, Emanueli, Emanuelov, Manuely and many more.

Emanuel Ranking

In the United States, the name Emanuel is the 3,632^nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3

Emanuel migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Emanuel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Aaron Emanuel, who arrived in America in 1770

Emanuel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Emanuel, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1822 4
J Emanuel, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1822 4
Albert Emanuel, who arrived in Texas in 1835 4
Albert Emanuel, who settled in Louisiana sometime between 1836 and 1841
Andrew Emanuel, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1848 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Emanuel Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Samuel Emanuel, who landed in Mississippi in 1900 4

Emanuel migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Emanuel Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Barnet Emanuel, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on April 1st, 1822, settling in New South Wales, Australia 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Emanuel (post 1700) +

Oliver Emanuel (1980-2023), British playwright and radio dramatist, born in Kent, Writer-in-Residence for BBC Radio 4 Children in Need in 2010
Errol John Emanuel GC (1918-1971), District Commissioner in the East New Britain district of Papua New Guinea was posthumously awarded the George Cross
Nicolás Emanuel Croce (b. 1985), Argentine former footballer who played as a midfielder
Adam Emanuel Eriksen (1852-1931), Norwegian painter, photographer, film director, and screenwriter
James Emanuel Fuchs (1927-2010), American communications executive and athlete
Paul Emanuel Polani FRCP, HonFRCP, FRCPCH, FRCOG, DCH, FRS, (1914-2006), Italian-Austrian geneticist, described by the Royal College of Physicians as "one of the key figures in the development of medical genetics"
Leon Emanuel Rosenberg (1933-2022), American physician-scientist, geneticist, and educator, Dean of the medical school of Yale University
Barry Emanuel Supple CBE, FBA, (b. 1930), English Emeritus Professor of Economic History, University of Cambridge, father of theatre and opera director Tim Supple
Alfred Emanuel Smith IV (1951-2019), American Wall Street executive, Senior Advisor for the Marwood Group
Sydney Emanuel Mudd (1858-1911), American Republican politician, Member of Maryland State House of Delegates, 1880-82, 1896; Speaker of the Maryland State House of Delegates, 1896 6

Historic Events for the Emanuel family +

RMS Titanic

Miss Virginia Ethel Emanuel, aged 6, American Third Class passenger from New York City, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived in the sinking in life boat 13 7

Sources +

Weiss, Nelly. The Origin of Jewish family names: Morphology and History. Peter Lang AG, 2002. Digital
Weiss, Nelly. The origin of Jewish family names: morphology and history. Peter Lang AG, 2002. Digital
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1822
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html