Manuela: What's in a name?

People often ask me how we came to name Manuela, and our short answer is always, "she's named after her grandmother" (Dani's mom) which is true, and she was touched to tears when we revealed to her our name choice.  But aside from the namesake, we both really like this classic, Spanish name.  It wasn't my first choice, but it has grown on me immensely.  I believe it fits her perfectly and I couldn't imagine her with any other name.

My mother-in law goes by "Manoli" so we decided that Manuela would be Manuela and never Manoli, to distinguish them.  Some people call her Manuelita which is cute.  I was a little nervous about the name because of its potential not-so-pretty pronunciation in English, but people really got it, and her full name stuck when we were home last summer.  Some people have chosen to use the American moniker I gave her just in case, "Ella", but I think Manuela is here to stay.

According to QuickBabyNames.com, Manuela means "God with us", is a female name, suitable for baby girls, is currently NOT a popular name in the USA and was highest ranking in popularity in the 1920s.

It originates from the Hebrew language and is a variant of the name Emmanuel.

I love this: "Based on our research, most people would imagine a person with the name Manuela to be: An elegant and rich woman.  Ha!  Maybe some day, baby girl!

Famous people with her name (that I know of!) are:

Manuela Sanz, daughter of singer Alejandro Sanz and ex-wife model Jaydi Mitchell (now 11 years old)

Manuela Velasco, famous Spanish actress (37 years old)

Manuela Saenz, South American revolutionary (lived in the early 1800s)

A quick Pinterest search came up with this awesome vintage Cuban film poster:

So, what do you think of her name?