I love this name! The nicknames are endless from girly like Emma to tomboyish like Manny. To tone it down I think I would use the combo Emmanuelle Gray.
A lifelong Southerner, this name has historical significance to the South in regards to our Churches. It's so French and also so Southern... like everything about Louisiana and New Orleans put in a name to a person. The best of both worlds.
I have loved this name for a long time. I heard it with the "u" part pronounced. Sad to see it isn't even popular in France right now and it is a French name!
This is a guilty pleasure of mine. I find Emmanuelle delightfully pompous. It makes me think of a Marie Antoinette-esque aristocrat who loves dresses, summer parties, cakes and Moët. In saying that, I find this name very beautiful and regal.
I adore this name and I think it is very elegant and strong-willed. I imagine a woman named Emmanuelle as a classy businesswoman, a dancer, or an artist.
It does have a soft and romantic sound to it, but it sounds a bit corny outside French-speaking countries, as at least to me, it bears the connotation of a main character in a Harlequin romance novel.