Manis as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Manis

What is the meaning of the name Manis ?

The baby name Manis is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /maˈnis/ (mah-NEES) — Malay/Indonesian,/ˈmænɪs/ (MAN-iss) — common English pronunciation,/məˈniːʃ/ (muh-NEESH) — possible pronunciation if treated as variant of Manish.

Manis is Indonesian, Malay in Origin.

Manis is a cross-cultural male name with layered origins. In Ashkenazi Jewish usage, it appears as a Yiddish given name and as a vernacular pet form associated with the Hebrew names Menachem (“comforter”) or Menashe (“one who causes to forget”). Records from Eastern Europe and the early 20th‑century diaspora show Manis in secular and religious contexts, and it survives today in Hasidic and Haredi circles. Spelling varies across transliteration, producing forms like Manis, Monis, and Mones; short forms include Mani and Manny.

In South Asia and its diaspora, Manis also functions as a modern Romanized variant of Manish, from Sanskrit manas (“mind, intellect”) + īśa (“lord, ruler”), yielding the meaning “lord/master of the mind.” Here it shares kinship with Manish, Manesh, Manas, and Mani. Usage is uncommon compared with its cognates, lending Manis a familiar yet distinctive international profile.