Explore the Family Name Candy
The meaning of Candy
English (southwestern): perhaps from Middle English candi ‘crystallized cane sugar’ (via French from Persian qand ‘sugar’) and used as a metonymic occupational name for a sugar merchant. Alternatively, it may be a nickname from the Early modern English name for Crete, Candie, Candy (derived via French from Venetian Candia), with a reference to its sweet wine. History: There was a family of this name in Roussillon, France, descended from a 17th-century Irish Jacobite named Kennedy, who was exiled in France in the 17th century. The family died out in France in 1868, but may have had an American branch.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Candy in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census Data, the popularity of the surname "Candy" has seen a marked decrease from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, the surname ranked at 21,295 and dropped to 27,646 in 2010, representing a decline of nearly 30%. The count of individuals with this surname also fell by over 24% during this period, from 1,147 people in 2000 to 870 in 2010. As a proportion per 100,000 people, the occurrence of the surname "Candy" decreased by over 32%, from 0.43 in 2000 to 0.29 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #21,295 | #27,646 | -29.82% |
| Count | 1,147 | 870 | -24.15% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.43 | 0.29 | -32.56% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Candy
In terms of ethnic identity, the majority of people bearing the surname "Candy" identified as White according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. This group saw a slight increase from 69.57% in 2000 to 70.11% in 2010. Other notable changes include the American Indian and Alaskan Native category, which experienced an increase of over 26%, and the Hispanic category, which rose by 35.88%. Those identifying as Two or more races saw a significant decrease, falling by nearly half from 3.57% in 2000 to 1.84% in 2010. The Asian/Pacific Islander group also experienced a decline of over 25%, while the Black category increased slightly by just over 5%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 69.57% | 70.11% | 0.78% |
| Black | 14.21% | 14.94% | 5.14% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 4.01% | 5.06% | 26.18% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 6.02% | 4.48% | -25.58% |
| Hispanic | 2.62% | 3.56% | 35.88% |
| Two or More Races | 3.57% | 1.84% | -48.46% |