The baby name Candor might appeal to parents seeking a fresh, new virtue name.
Thanks to S for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME CANDOR MEAN?
Sometimes the toughest questions around name choice involve meaning. Is Mallory destined for badness? How to think about Caleb likely coming from the Hebrew word for dog?
Word names sidestep this challenge.
Candor’s meaning comes directly from the dictionary: open-minded, impartial, frank.
It’s almost from a Latin word that originally meant purity or even radiance from candere, a verb meaning “to shine.”
There’s a straightforwardness to the baby name Candor, and plenty of history, too.
MODERN VIRTUE NAMES
Our pool of possible virtue names is deeper than ever in the 21st century.
A first name like Chosen might be expressly religious or a broader kind of purpose name. Rarities like Clarity are attracting more attention than ever before.
As a first or middle name, such choices offer expectant parents confidence in a name’s meaning.
And while plenty of modern virtue names work across gender lines, other feel more fixed. Candor, so similar to Cameron and Connor and Carter, tends to read boy.
Also appealing: Candor is a positive virtue that feels a little more flexible than, say, Patience or Bravery.
DIVERGENT
For the generation that came of age in the 2010s, there’s a second meaning for this name.
Veronica Roth imagined a dystopia world for The Divergent Series. The first book was released in 2011; the first movie followed in 2014.
It’s a rich and multi-faceted world, but here’s the basic premise: society is divided into factions, based on each individual’s aptitudes and values. It’s a binding choice, made by teenagers. They divide into five groups:
- The Dauntless, who become soldiers and police
- Peaceful Amity, the farmers and nurturers
- Engineers, scientists, doctors, and teachers belong to the Erudite
- The Abnegation run the government
- And then there’s the Candor, who are in charge of the law
The author created the first four factions, then realized Candor had to be added to fill a gap.
So while this isn’t the kind of word we use in everyday conversation, it may strike a familiar note.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME CANDOR?
Then again, as a baby’s name, Candor is nearly unused.
In 2019, it was given to five boys.
That is the only time Candor has even registered in the extended list issued by the US Social Security Administration. For privacy reasons, a name must be given to at least five boys or five girls in a calendar year before it is included on the publicly-released list.
MEANING-RICH RARITY
All of this make Candor a virtue name that is all too rate. That might just make it the perfect baby name for parents focused on blending meaning and style.
After all, it sounds like so many surname-style choices ending with R. Think of Prosper and Baylor, but also Connor, Victor, Hector, and Trevor. It fits with bold word names like Maverick and Major, too.
If meaning matters most, and finding a truly unusual name is a top priority, Candor might belong on your short list.
What do you think of the baby name Candor?
Thank you for making my son’s name a Name of the Day! My Candor is four and he loves his name. His current go to way of introducing himself is to say, “Hi. I’m Candor. C-A-N-D-O-R.” It’s pretty cute. People do mistake his name for Xander or other names occasionally when overhearing it but then he introduces himself and clears up any confusion.
One thing that I was surprised by was how many people misspell his name. I thought that with it being a word name that the spelling would be clear. Instead it’s shockingly common for people to assume it’s spelled with a K.
As for nicknames, he mostly just goes by Candor. We do have silly pet names for him like Candor-bean, Beanie baby, Candy baby, Candorsaurus Rex, that kind of thing, but that’s it.
Reactions to his name are generally pretty positive. People who know the meaning usually smile and mention how much they like it. Others usually think it’s neat once we tell them about it.
Given how unusual it is, we did give him a more common middle name he could go by if he ever wanted something that fit in more, but so far he loves it as much as we do. I don’t expect to ever meet another one, but you never know.
You’re welcome! It’s SUCH a great name. I love a virtue that is enduring and universal, but also not necessarily the kind of word that we use in everyday speech. And the nicknames you use are beyond darling!
Candidly? (Pun definitely intended), I think it might be misheard as Connor or even Condor.
But I would be absolutely intrigued to meet one of these five boys given the name!
Hmmm… what would a good nickname be?
Canny (like Manny)… but would the “uncanny” connection get old?
Ander? It’s sounds a lot the same except without the ‘C’ in the front.
Dorro (like Zoro)? Too close to dodo? Or Dorito?
Or even ‘C’-a-dor (Theodore)? Maybe for his dad.
I like it. I want to love it. And I totally want to meet one in the wild.