Candida
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "pure" or "bright".
Name Census estimates that about 2,702 living Americans carry the first name Candida. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Candida today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Candida births was 1971 (222 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Candida. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Candida with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.7K
~ 1 in 126,852 Americans
Peak year
1971
222 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
2017 SSA rank
#14,481
Tracked since 1900
Census
Candida in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 8,104 people with the first name Candida, which placed it at #2,852 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#2,852
National first-name rank
People counted
8.1K
8,104 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
73.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Candida
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Candida is Hispanic at 73.1%. The next largest groups are White (18.6%) and Black (3.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Candida described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Candida at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino73.1% · 5,921
- White18.6% · 1,510
- Black or African American3.8% · 305
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 224
- Two or more races1.1% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 54
Popularity
Candida: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Candida from the 1900s through to the 2010s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 1,392 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Candida by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Candida during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Candidas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 29 states and territories. New York, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Candida, while Wisconsin, Virginia, Utah recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 49 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Candida
The given name Candida finds its origins in the Latin language and culture. It is derived from the Latin word "candidus," which means "white" or "pure." The name likely emerged during the classical Roman era, although its precise origins are uncertain.
Candida was a relatively common name among Roman women, particularly those from affluent families. It was often chosen to symbolize purity, innocence, and virtue. In ancient Roman texts, the name appears in various forms, such as Candida, Candidia, and Candidiola.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Candida can be found in the works of the Roman historian Livy, who lived from 59 BC to 17 AD. He documented a woman named Candida who was involved in a legal dispute during the reign of the Roman emperor Augustus.
Throughout the centuries, several notable figures have borne the name Candida. One of the most famous was Candida of Arras, a Christian martyr who lived in the 4th century AD. She was executed for her faith during the persecutions of Christians under the Roman emperor Maximian.
Another prominent figure was Candida Loye, a 15th-century French mystic and visionary. She lived from approximately 1436 to 1490 and was renowned for her spiritual visions and prophecies.
In the 16th century, Candida Paltrinieri was an Italian noble woman and philanthropist, known for her charitable works and support of the poor and underprivileged. She lived from 1513 to 1588.
During the 17th century, Candida Vitali was an Italian painter and engraver, active in Rome between 1635 and 1670. She was recognized for her skillful portraits and religious works.
In more recent times, Candida Royalle was an influential figure in the adult film industry, known for her efforts to promote ethical and female-friendly pornography. She lived from 1950 to 2015.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Candida throughout history, reflecting its enduring appeal and rich cultural heritage.
People
Candida + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Candida as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Candida: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Candida?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,702 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Candida going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 126,852 US residents.
Is Candida a common name?
We classify Candida as "Rare". It ranks above 94.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,580 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Candida most popular?
The single biggest year for Candida was 1971, when 222 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Candida is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Candida in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 8,104 people with the name Candida, or 2.68 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,852 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Candida in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Candida?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Candida appears almost entirely female. Of the 8,104 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Candida?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Candida is Hispanic at 73.1%. The next largest groups are White (18.6%) and Black (3.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Candida most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Candida in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.1% (5,921 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Candida in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Candida a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Candida in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Candida still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Candida in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Candida can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Candida?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.