Candor
An English word connoting frankness, sincerity, and honesty.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Candor. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Candor today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Candor births was 2019 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Candor. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Candor. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2019
5 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2019 SSA rank
#12,463
Tracked since 2019
Popularity
Candor: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Candor 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 Candor during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Candor
The name Candor originates from the Latin word "candor," which means purity, sincerity, or frankness. It has its roots in the ancient Roman culture and can be traced back to the classical era. The name was likely derived from the Latin word "candeo," meaning "to shine" or "to be white," reflecting the notion of clarity and openness.
In ancient Roman literature, the word "candor" was often used to describe honesty, truthfulness, and straightforwardness. It was a highly valued virtue in Roman society, and those who embodied these qualities were respected and admired. The name Candor may have been given to individuals who were perceived to possess these admirable traits.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Candor can be found in the writings of the Roman philosopher Seneca (c. 4 BC - 65 AD), who frequently used the word "candor" in his philosophical works to emphasize the importance of truthfulness and integrity. Another notable figure with the name Candor was Marcus Tullius Tiro (c. 103 BC - c. 4 BC), a Roman freedman and Cicero's personal secretary, who is credited with inventing a system of shorthand writing.
In the Middle Ages, the name Candor was not widely used, but it resurfaced during the Renaissance period when humanist scholars rediscovered and celebrated the values of classical antiquity. One notable figure from this time was Desiderius Erasmus (1466 - 1536), a Dutch Renaissance humanist and scholar who championed the virtues of candor and intellectual honesty.
In more recent history, the name Candor has been used sparingly, but there have been a few notable individuals who bore it. Candor Crest Pyle (1858 - 1910) was an American journalist and author known for his works on the American West. Candor Whitaker (1803 - 1857) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee.
While not a common name, Candor has a rich historical significance, rooted in the ideals of honesty, truthfulness, and sincerity that were highly valued in ancient Roman culture. Its enduring presence, though rare, serves as a reminder of the timeless importance of these virtues.
People
Candor + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Candor 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
Candor: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Candor?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Candor 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Candor a common name?
We classify Candor as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Candor most popular?
The single biggest year for Candor was 2019, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Candor is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Candor in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Candor a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Candor in the SSA data are male. 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 Candor still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Candor 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 Candor 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Candor as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Candor, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.