2000
#21,295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,147
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Very Rare Last name
Candy
A surname derived from the confectionery trade or a seller of candy/sweets.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 890 Americans carry the last name Candy. That puts it at #31,903 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 385,117 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Candy 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Candy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
890
1 in 385,117
Census rank
#31,903
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
776
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 776 bearers of the surname Candy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 31903rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Candy, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (6.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Candy
The surname Candy originated in England during the late Middle Ages. It is an occupational surname derived from the Old English word "candle", referring to a chandler or candle maker. The earliest known bearer of the name was Robert le Candeler, recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1273.
The name can also be traced back to the Norman French "candeler" or "candelier", which has the same meaning. This variation emerged after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, as many French words were introduced into the English language. One of the earliest recorded instances of this spelling is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mentions a Hugo Candeler.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as Candeler, Candeler, and Candler, reflecting the changing spelling conventions of the time. The variant "Candy" became more prevalent in the 16th and 17th centuries, as surnames were standardized and anglicized.
Historically significant bearers of the Candy surname include Sir Edward Candy (1545-1627), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for the City of London during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another notable figure was John Candy (1590-1665), a prominent Puritan clergyman and writer who served as the Rector of Wilby, Norfolk.
In the 18th century, the Candy family established themselves as prominent landowners and industrialists in the West Midlands region of England. Among them was Samuel Candy (1718-1792), a successful iron manufacturer and founder of the Candy Ironworks in Dudley.
During the Victorian era, the Candy surname gained further recognition with the works of authors such as Charles Candy (1824-1887), who wrote several historical novels set in medieval England. Another notable figure was Sir Edward Traherne Candy (1825-1899), a renowned architect responsible for designing several iconic buildings in London, including the Royal Courts of Justice.
Other prominent individuals with the Candy surname include the explorer and naturalist Frank Candy (1865-1932), who conducted extensive research in the Amazon rainforest, and the World War II veteran and politician Sir Walter Candy (1899-1981), who served as a Member of Parliament for over three decades.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Candy
Among Census respondents with the surname Candy, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (6.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Candy 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 Candy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.6% · 509
- Black or African American17.3% · 134
- American Indian and Alaska Native6.2% · 48
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 40
- Two or more races4.6% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Candy
Candy 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
#27,646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 870
-277 bearers (-24.1%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 6,351 places
2020
#31,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 776
-94 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 4,257 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,295 | 1,147 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,646 | 870 | 0.29 | -277 bearers (-24.1%) | Down 6,351 places |
| 2020 | #31,903 | 776 | 0.26 | -94 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 4,257 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 Candy 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 | #27,646 | #31,903 | -15.4% |
| Count | 870 | 776 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.29 | 0.26 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Candy bearers went from 870 to 776 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 4,257 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,646 to #31,903.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Candy
FAQ
Candy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Candy?
Name Census estimates that about 890 living Americans carry the surname Candy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 385,117 residents.
How common is Candy?
Candy ranks #31,903 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 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 776 people with the surname Candy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (890), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 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 Candy.
Has Candy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Candy went from 870 recorded bearers to 776. That is a decrease of 94 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #27,646 to #31,903.
What does the Census say about the background of Candy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Candy, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (6.2%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Candy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.6% (509 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Candy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.6%), Black (17.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (6.2%). 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 Candy (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 Candy mean?
A surname derived from the confectionery trade or a seller of candy/sweets. 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 Candy (0.26 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 Candy?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Candy on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.