Candy
Candy was the 4576th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 30 babies. Its best year was 1969, when it ranked 278th; the most babies were born in 1970 (1,044). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,390 places. More babies were named Candy in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Candace · English, Meroitic
Say it KAN-dee /ˈkændi/
- Rank in 2025
- #4,576 girls, down 637 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 30girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19701,044 babies
- Total since 1880
- 28,625babies recorded
What does the name Candy mean?
Candy is a pet form of Candace (and Candice), and it also suggests the English word candy, "sweets". Candace itself comes from the title kandake used for the queens of ancient Kush and mentioned in Acts 8:27. Wiktionary notes that Candice was influenced by a folk link with Latin candida, "white". Candy was most popular in the US in the 1950s and 1960s.
kdke (kandake) (Meroitic, “title of the queens of Kush”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Candace, Candice, Candi, Kandy.
See also: African names, names that mean king or queen.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Candy', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Candace', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Candice', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Candy (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Candy popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 100 since 1934.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,576 | 30 |
| 2020 | #3,939 | 36 |
| 2010 | #1,960 | 102 |
| 2000 | #1,590 | 111 |
| 1990 | #948 | 199 |
| 1980 | #481 | 438 |
| 1970 | #281 | 1,044 |
| 1960 | #327 | 827 |
| 1950 | #489 | 272 |
| 1940 | #2,118 | 15 |
| 1930 | #3,706 | 7 |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Candy, counting every spelling?
Candy is the most common spelling of a name family that had 36 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 36 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Candy | 30 | #4,576 | 176 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Candy?
30 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Candy (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Candy born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 280 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Candy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Candy?
About 25,000 people born in the US named Candy are alive today, with a median age of 56; half are between 47 and 66. That makes Candy a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Candy by state
How common Candy was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 46 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Candy: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Candy, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Candy · Sibling names for Candy
Candy is also a nickname for Candace.
Questions about the name Candy
What does Candy mean?
Candy means “pet form of Candace” (English, Meroitic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Candy?
Candy was the 4576th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 30 babies. Its best year was 1969, when it ranked 278th; the most babies were born in 1970 (1,044). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,390 places. More babies were named Candy in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Candy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Candy in the US.
Where is Candy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Candy was most common in Alabama (0.05 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and Florida.