Candace
Candace is a royal title from the Bible, ultimately deriving from the term kandake, a title for a queen or queen mother in the ancient African Kingdom of Kush; also meaning "pure and innocent". In the United States, it was a popular name during the late 1970s, throughout the 1980s, and into the early 1990s.
Meaning & Origin of Candace
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Candace is a royal title from the Bible, ultimately deriving from the term kandake, a title for a queen or queen mother in the ancient African Kingdom of Kush; also meaning "pure and innocent". In the United States, it was a popular name during the late 1970s, throughout the 1980s, and into the early 1990s.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Candace
Candace first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1882, with 8 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1982, when 2,848 Candaces were born — ranking #103 that year. As of 2026, Candace ranks #3,758 for baby girls with 40 births, falling sharply (-27%). In total, more than 85K Candaces have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Candace
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Candace Allen (author) (born 1950), a Hollywood screenwriter
- Candace Allen (beauty queen) (21st century), Miss District of Columbia USA 2006
- Candace Bailey (born 1982), an American actress
- Candace Cameron Bure (born 1976), an American actress
- Candace Bushnell (born 1958), an American writer
- Candace Camp (born 1949), a best-selling American writer
- Candace Charles (born 1990), Miss Guyana 2007
- Candace Collins (born 1957), an American model and actress
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Candace
Phonetically similar names — useful when Candace is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Candace
What does the name Candace mean?
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About the name Candace
Candace is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1882 and has accumulated 85K births in the dataset. Candace's peak popularity came in 1982 when it ranked #102. Use the chart and map above to compare Candace's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1982 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.