Candy
Candy is a surname, given name, nickname or stage name. It is often used as a hypocorism for the feminine given name Candace.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Candy
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Candy is a surname, given name, nickname or stage name. It is often used as a hypocorism for the feminine given name Candace.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Candy
American parents first put Candy on the record books as a baby girl name in 1896, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1970, when 1,044 Candys were born — ranking #281 that year. About 26% of every Candy on record arrived during the 1960s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Candy ranks #3,759 for baby girls with 40 births, gradually falling (-8%). All told, over 29K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1890s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Candy
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Candy. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Candy
Phonetically similar names — useful when Candy 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 Candy
What does the name Candy mean?
What is the origin of the name Candy?
How popular is Candy in 2026?
When was Candy most popular?
In which U.S. states is Candy most popular?
Is Candy a unisex name?
What names go well with Candy?
What are nicknames or variants of Candy?
About the name Candy
Candy is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1896 and has accumulated 29K births in the dataset. Candy's peak popularity came in 1970 when it ranked #278. Use the chart and map above to compare Candy's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1970 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- 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.