girl's name
Candace
KAN-dis
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 86,451
Candace is a job title mistaken for a name — Kandake was the word for the queen mother of Kush, and Acts uses it as though it were personal, so a Sudanese royal office became an American given name.
- Candace is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1982, when 2,859 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 66,309 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1882.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Candace over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 27 |
| 1890s | 36 |
| 1900s | 27 |
| 1910s | 112 |
| 1920s | 135 |
| 1930s | 146 |
| 1940s | 6,720 |
| 1950s | 14,262 |
| 1960s | 9,886 |
| 1970s | 12,687 |
| 1980s | 25,268 |
| 1990s | 11,532 |
| 2000s | 2,925 |
| 2010s | 989 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 345 |
What Candace means
Candace means queen mother, a royal title from the Kingdom of Kush. The glittering white reading widely given comes from the unrelated Latin candidus. The sense passes into the modern name unchanged.
Where Candace comes from
Candace descends from Kandake, the Meroitic title of the queen mother in the Kingdom of Kush, in what is now Sudan — a genuine office with real authority, and several holders led armies against Rome. Acts describes an official of the Candace of the Ethiopians, using the title as a name, and later readers took it that way. The glittering white gloss comes from the Latin candidus, which gives candid and candidate, and has nothing to do with it.
Candace in use
Candace peaked in the United States in 1982, when 2,859 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in three of the seven markets we track — 3,205th in the United States on 50 births and 3629th in England and Wales — across 86,451 lifetime births. Candice, the other spelling, is written up separately. Candice ranks 321st in France.
How popular is Candace?
In 2025, Candace was given to 50 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Candace is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Candace
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Candace also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Candace over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Candace
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Candace in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Candace
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Candace — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Candace
What does the name Candace mean?
Queen mother — Kandake, the royal title of the Kingdom of Kush.
Is Candace in the Bible?
Acts mentions the Candace of the Ethiopians, using the title as though it were a name.
Does Candace mean glittering white?
No. That comes from the Latin candidus and is unrelated.
Is it Candace or Candice?
Both are used. Candice ranks far higher in France; Candace is the more American spelling.
How popular is the name Candace?
In 2025, Candace was given to 50 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Candace a girl's or a boy's name?
Candace is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Candace?
Candace has 2 syllables.
When was Candace most popular?
Candace peaked in 1982, when 2,859 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Candace?
Candace is usually shortened to Candy.
Is Candace a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Candace currently ranks #1,825 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.