Explore the Family Name Mani

The meaning of Mani

1. Indian (southern states): shortened form of Subramanian. 2. Indian (Kerala): from a pet form of the personal name Emmanuel, found among Christians in southern India. — Note: Since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames, this name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. 3. Italian: patronymic or plural form of Mano. 4. Albanian: nickname or topographic name from man (definite form mani) ‘mulberry’. 5. Albanian: from Man (definite form Mani), a short form of the Muslim personal names ending in -man, as for example Osman and Selman (see Salman). Some characteristic forenames: Indian Lalitha, Mani, Rajesh, Siva, Arun, Chitra, Jayashree, Raghu, Suresh, Varughese, Balu, Bhavani.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Mani in the United States?

The surname Mani has seen a significant increase in popularity between the years 2000 and 2010, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, it was ranked as the 18,682nd most common surname, while by 2010, it had risen to the 13,690th position, marking a growth of over 26%. The count of individuals carrying the Mani surname also increased during this period from 1,359 to 2,212, a surge of nearly 63%. Consequently, the proportion of individuals named Mani per 100,000 in the population rose by 50%, from 0.5 in 2000 to 0.75 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#18,682#13,69026.72%
Count1,3592,21262.77%
Proportion per 100k0.50.7550%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Mani

In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census showed some interesting shifts. The largest group identifying with the Mani surname were those of Asian/Pacific Islander descent, accounting for 51.14% in 2000 and increasing to 59.09% by 2010. This represented a change of approximately 16%. People of White ethnicity made up 29.73% in 2000, but this percentage declined to 21.84% in 2010. Notable increases were also observed among those identifying as Black (from 2.35% to 2.71%) and Hispanic (from 12.29% to 12.84%). However, there was a decrease among individuals of two or more races (from 4.12% to 3.25%) and American Indian and Alaskan Native background (from 0.37% to 0.27%).

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander51.14%59.09%15.55%
White29.73%21.84%-26.54%
Hispanic12.29%12.84%4.48%
Two or More Races4.12%3.25%-21.12%
Black2.35%2.71%15.32%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.37%0.27%-27.03%