Girls' name · since 1896
Candy
Candy has 28,525 recorded births since 1896 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1970 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #860 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,556 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 28,525
- born since 1896
- 1960s
- peak decade
28,525 babies have been named Candy since 1896, making it today's #4556 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Candy recorded 28,525 times among girls since 1896, holding rank #4556 nationally today, ahead of 74% of girls, peaking in the 1960s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1896 to 2025.
- #860 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #4,556 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 28,525 born since 1896
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Candy ranks #860 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,556 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 28,525 born since 1896, peaking in the 1960s.
- #860 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,556 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 28,525
- born since 1896
- 1960s
- peak decade
Candy's 28,525 recorded births place it above 98.81% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
50 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Candy compares
28,525 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Candy's all-time total is 76x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Candy | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 28,525 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,044 | 21 | 19,840 |
Candy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Candy splits its recorded history at 1974: 34% of all births land in the more recent half, 66% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1896 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1970 peak of 1,044 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Candy popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1896–2025
- Peak year (1970)
- 1,044
- Annual births at peak, across 130 years of records
Candy popularity over time - boys
100 total births recorded since 1934 (Candy as boys' name)
Candy by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (7,555 births, 26% of the file).
1960s was Candy's strongest decade.
7,555 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Candy births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 5
1890s
5 births
- 1910s 14
1910s
14 births
- 1920s 39
1920s
39 births
- 1930s 90
1930s
90 births
- 1940s 1,948
1940s
1,948 births
- 1950s
1950s
5,716 births
- 1960s
1960s
7,555 births
- 1970s
1970s
6,887 births
- 1980s
1980s
3,029 births
- 1990s 1,273
1990s
1,273 births
- 2000s 1,133
2000s
1,133 births
- 2010s 624
2010s
624 births
- 2020s 212
2020s
212 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 7,555 births (26% of all-time use).
How Candy 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 Candy's total volume
Candy by state
Where Candy concentrates geographically, total births since 1896
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 3,927 | 13.8% |
| #2 | Texas | | 2,088 | 7.3% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 1,902 | 6.7% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 1,469 | 5.1% |
| #5 | New York | | 1,290 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 1,142 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 1,131 | 4.0% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 1,040 | 3.6% |
3,927 of 28,525 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Candy appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Candy? ▼
Where does Candy sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Candy most popular? ▼
Where is Candy most popular? ▼
How long has the name Candy been used? ▼
What names are similar to Candy? ▼
What to do with Candy's data
- Candy's decade-level peak was the 1960s (7,555 total births); usage has since declined to 212 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Candys (3,927 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 Candy
Nearby Names Like Candy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Candy
Compare Candy side by side: Candy vs Candace Candy vs Candice Candy vs Candi
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Candy
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Candy: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1970)
Similar record span (~129 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, 1896–2025 (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 Candy 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.