Candace

Meaning & origin

Candace originated from the Meroitic royal title kdke, used for queens of the Kingdom of Kush, and entered European usage through the New Testament. It has been in use in the United States since at least 1882, the first year of Social Security data. Its peak popularity came in 1982, when it ranked 3,167 overall among girls. Since 1985, its usage has steadily declined, with a trajectory described as falling. In the most recent year recorded (2025), it occurs at a rate of 1 in 32,145 births, and its highest concentration is in Texas. Candace was particularly fashionable in the 1980s, but never experienced a revival in the following decades. The name is closely associated with the nickname Candy and has spelling variants such as Candice and Kandace.

Candace derives from the Greek form Kandake, itself from the Meroitic or Cushitic royal title kdke used for queens of Kush (ancient Nubia). Roman and Greek historians adopted it as a generic name for the queen of the Ethiopians. It entered English usage through the Bible (Acts 8:27), where Candace is the queen of the Ethiopians whose eunuch is baptized by Philip. The name became widely used in the English-speaking world in the 20th century, especially from the 1940s onward.