Girls' name · since 1882
Candace
Since 1882, U.S. Social Security records show 84,938 babies named Candace, peaking in 1982. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #422 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,171 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 84,938
- born since 1882
- 1980s
- peak decade
Candace currently ranks #3171 among girls' names in America, with 84,938 babies recorded since 1882.
Social Security Administration records show Candace recorded 84,938 times among girls since 1882, holding rank #3171 nationally today, ahead of 82% of girls, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #422 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #3,171 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 84,938 born since 1882
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Candace ranks #422 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,171 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 84,938 born since 1882, peaking in the 1980s.
- #422 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,171 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 84,938
- born since 1882
- 1980s
- peak decade
Candace's 84,938 recorded births place it above 99.41% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Candace compares
84,938 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Candace's all-time total is 226x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Candace | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 84,938 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,848 | 21 | 19,840 |
Candace's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Candace splits its recorded history at 1961: 74% of all births land in the more recent half, 26% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1899 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1982 peak of 2,848 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Candace popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1982)
- 2,848
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Candace popularity over time - boys
159 total births recorded since 1949 (Candace as boys' name)
Candace by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (25,168 births, 30% of the file).
1980s was Candace's strongest decade.
25,168 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 30% of all-time use.
Candace births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 27
1880s
27 births
- 1890s 36
1890s
36 births
- 1900s 27
1900s
27 births
- 1910s 112
1910s
112 births
- 1920s 135
1920s
135 births
- 1930s 146
1930s
146 births
- 1940s 6,715
1940s
6,715 births
- 1950s
1950s
14,251 births
- 1960s 9,872
1960s
9,872 births
- 1970s
1970s
12,670 births
- 1980s
1980s
25,168 births
- 1990s
1990s
11,520 births
- 2000s 2,925
2000s
2,925 births
- 2010s 989
2010s
989 births
- 2020s 345
2020s
345 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 25,168 births (30% of all-time use).
How Candace compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Candace's total volume
Candace by state
Where Candace concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 8,166 | 9.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 5,949 | 7.0% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 4,174 | 4.9% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 4,161 | 4.9% |
| #5 | New York | | 4,161 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 3,442 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 3,294 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Florida | | 3,186 | 3.8% |
8,166 of 84,938 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Candace appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Candace? ▼
Where does Candace sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Candace most popular? ▼
Where is Candace most popular? ▼
How long has the name Candace been used? ▼
What names are similar to Candace? ▼
What to do with Candace's data
- Candace's decade-level peak was the 1980s (25,168 total births); usage has since declined to 345 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Candaces (8,166 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Candace
Nearby Names Like Candace
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Candace
Compare Candace side by side: Candace vs Candice Candace vs Candy Candace vs Candi
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Candace
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Candace: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1982)
Similar record span (~143 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1882–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Candace draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.