The name was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and gave rise to the patronymic gentes Manlia and Manilia.
[2][3] Although regularly used by certain gentes, such as the Acilii, Aemilii, Aquilii, Papirii, Sergii, and Valerii, Manius was not used by the majority of families, and was never particularly common.
It became less common during the period of the Roman Empire, eventually falling out of use.
However, Chase proposes that it instead derives from the archaic adjective manus, meaning "good".
The name's superficial similarity to manes may have been one reason why Manius was relatively uncommon.