Fun Facts About the Name Manasseh
- 581 babies named Manasseh: U.S. records list 581 babies given the name Manasseh from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 girls received the name Manasseh - about 1 girl for every 115 boys.
What Does the Name Manasseh Mean?
Manasseh is a Hebrew name, written מְנַשֶּׁה (Mənaššeh), and its established meaning is "causing to forget." It is formed from the Hebrew root נָשָׁה (nashah), "to forget," in a participle form with causative force, so the name literally denotes "one who causes forgetting." Genesis 41:51 ties this sense to the name, having Joseph explain that God "has made me forget" (nashani) his hardship and his father's household.
That verse is a wordplay on the name, and some scholars treat its explanation as a popular etymology rather than a certain statement of the name's original sense; even so, the name is consistently understood in connection with forgetting. Greek scripture renders it Μανασσή (Manassē), and Latin uses Manasses, the form from which the English spelling descends.
Manasseh Name History & Origins
In the Hebrew Bible, Manasseh is the elder son of Joseph and Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, born in Egypt before the famine (Genesis 41:50 - 52). His younger brother was Ephraim. In Genesis 48, Jacob adopts the two boys and blesses them, and each became the ancestor of a tribe of Israel. The tribe of Manasseh was among the larger tribes and held land on both sides of the Jordan River, with a portion east of the river in Gilead and Bashan and a portion west of it (Numbers 32; Joshua 17).
The best-attested historical bearer is King Manasseh of Judah, son of Hezekiah, who ruled in Jerusalem during the seventh century BCE. He is named as a tributary king in Assyrian records from the reigns of Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal. The books of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles describe his long reign and his reputation for idolatry; 2 Chronicles 33 also recounts his late repentance, and a later Greek penitential text, the Prayer of Manasseh, was attributed to him and is printed in the Apocrypha of some Bibles.
The name recurs in post-exilic texts. Ezra lists men named Manasseh among those who had married foreign women (Ezra 10:30, 33), and the Book of Judith gives Manasseh as the name of Judith's deceased husband. In the New Testament the Greek form Manasses appears in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:10) and among the sealed tribes in Revelation 7:6.
The name remained in use in Jewish communities. A notable later bearer was Manasseh ben Israel (1604 - 1657), the Amsterdam rabbi and printer who petitioned Oliver Cromwell in the 1650s for the readmission of Jews to England.
How Popular is the Name Manasseh?
Manasseh has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2024. Its best rank was #3,847 in 2024.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | #16,942 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,636 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2024 | #3,847 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2023 | #4,552 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2022 | #5,146 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2021 | #5,474 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2020 | #4,965 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2019 | #4,904 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2018 | #4,556 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2017 | #4,415 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2016 | #4,056 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2015 | #5,199 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2014 | #3,973 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2013 | #5,826 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2012 | #4,338 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2011 | #5,582 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2010 | #6,944 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #6,678 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2008 | #5,186 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2007 | #8,658 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #4,621 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2005 | #6,930 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2004 | #4,921 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2003 | #4,960 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2002 | #5,940 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2001 | #5,309 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2000 | #4,712 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1999 | #5,903 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1998 | #5,697 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1997 | #4,389 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1996 | #8,592 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #6,757 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #5,733 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1992 | #6,468 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #7,877 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #5,058 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #5,516 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #6,140 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #5,700 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Manasseh Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Manasseh's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Manasseh's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.