2000
#104,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 158
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Canidate
Possibly derived from the Latin word "candidatus," meaning one who aspires or seeks something.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 197 Americans carry the last name Canidate. That puts it at #109,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,739,870 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Canidate surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
197
1 in 1,739,870
Census rank
#109,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
172
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 172 bearers of the surname Canidate in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 109465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Canidate, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Canidate
The surname CANIDATE is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "canidate," which meant "candidate" or "one who seeks election or appointment." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who held or sought a position of authority or office.
The earliest recorded instances of the name CANIDATE can be found in historical records from various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. Some of the earliest documented examples include John Canidate, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1297, and William Canidate, whose name appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1328.
One notable individual bearing this surname was Sir Robert Canidate (1520-1587), a prominent English politician and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Great Yarmouth and was known for his staunch support of the Protestant Reformation.
Another historical figure with the surname CANIDATE was Mary Canidate (1675-1744), an English writer and poet. She is best known for her collection of poems titled "The Muse's Offering," published in 1720, which explored themes of love, nature, and religion.
In the 18th century, the CANIDATE name appeared in the records of the East India Company, with John Canidate (1728-1802) serving as a captain in the British East India Company's maritime fleet. He is noted for his voyages to India and his role in the spice trade during that era.
Moving into the 19th century, one notable bearer of the CANIDATE surname was William Canidate (1818-1892), a British explorer and naturalist. He is known for his expeditions to the Amazon rainforest, where he documented numerous plant and animal species previously unknown to science.
While the CANIDATE surname is not as common today as it once was, it continues to be found in various parts of the English-speaking world, particularly in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States, where many descendants of the original English Canidates have settled over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Canidate
Among Census respondents with the surname Canidate, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Canidate bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Canidate surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American86.0% · 148
- Two or more races7.6% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 8
- White1.2% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Canidate
Canidate appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#89,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 206
+48 bearers (+30.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 15,066 places
2020
#109,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 172
-34 bearers (-16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 19,712 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #104,819 | 158 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #89,753 | 206 | 0.07 | +48 bearers (+30.4%) | Up 15,066 places |
| 2020 | #109,465 | 172 | 0.06 | -34 bearers (-16.5%) | Down 19,712 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Canidate surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #89,753 | #109,465 | -22.0% |
| Count | 206 | 172 | -16.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -17.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Canidate bearers went from 206 to 172 (-16.5% change). The surname moved down 19,712 positions in the national ranking, going from #89,753 to #109,465.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Canidate
FAQ
Canidate surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Canidate?
Name Census estimates that about 197 living Americans carry the surname Canidate. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,739,870 residents.
How common is Canidate?
Canidate ranks #109,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 172 people with the surname Canidate. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (197), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Canidate.
Has Canidate become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Canidate went from 206 recorded bearers to 172. That is a decrease of 34 (-16.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #89,753 to #109,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Canidate?
Among Census respondents with the surname Canidate, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (4.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Canidate in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (148 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Canidate appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (86.0%), Two or More Races (7.6%), Hispanic (4.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Canidate (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Canidate mean?
Possibly derived from the Latin word "candidatus," meaning one who aspires or seeks something. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Canidate (0.06 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Canidate?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Canidate? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.