I heard of the name well before its connection to the infection. I don't know what everyone's on about with its "strong connections" to the infection, I had never heard of it, but that could be just me. I have several female ancestors and family members named Candida, and when I heard some people saying it was an unfortunate name because of the medical condition, I was confused. Anyways, the connection is unfortunate, but I don't think it's that big of an issue. Candida is a lovely name.
This is one of those names where the name itself is lovely, but its strong connection to something else ruins it. It really is a shame since Candida both sounds and looks very nice. If it weren't the name of the vaginal yeast infection I would definitely want to see this used more!
Candida Donadio (1929 - 2001) was an American literary agent. She represented many writers, including postmodern novelists Joseph Heller, William Gaddis, and Thomas Pynchon.
Candida Lycett Green (née Betjeman; 1942 – 2014) was a British author who wrote sixteen books including English Cottages, Goodbye London, The Perfect English House, Over the Hills and Far Away and The Dangerous Edge of Things. Her television documentaries included The Englishwoman and the Horse, and The Front Garden. Unwrecked England, based on a regular column of the same name she wrote for The Oldie from 1992, was published in 2009.
Cándida is used in Spanish speaking communities/countries. It's mostly common among older generations. It's a very old name. Candy or Candi is a common nickname among Hispanics if a younger person has the name. Candida sounds really odd when pronounced in English.
Omg me finding this in my twenties has made me so happy. I’ve always felt kind of odd about my name, especially because of the yeast infection thing. But reading all these comments from other Candidas or people who know Candidas has been a joy. :)
I have a Bachelor's Degree and even I have only heard the name in reference to a vaginal yeast infection. It really is a shame, it's a unique name with a great origin and history. But don't do it.
― Anonymous User 4/16/2021
6
I was named after the 1970 hit song "Candida", Tony Orlando & Dawn. I love having a unique name, but as a child it was too odd and hard to pronounce, so I went by Candi. The pronunciation was still (and will always be) butchered by teachers, customer service people, new employers, anyone that looks at my ID, etc. As a teenager, Candi became the ubiquitous stripper name and the sugary pick up lines were abundant. Yes world, I am sweet like Candy. My nickname started popping up in songs of a slightly dirtier nature ("Sex & Candy" and Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" where Candy was a generous gal). No one could pronounce my full name or spell my nickname with an "i". I was kind of screwed either way...It's far too late to go by my middle name. It's charming to go by different names as a kid and have a good one stick but changing it in my 40's? More mid-life crisis than cute. Candida is a Latin word meaning "white or colorless and pure" and is more common as a female name in other countries. The word "candidate" goes back to a time when politicians, judges and other men in high positions wore wigs that were coated in white powder. To say something is candid, like a photo, means that it is pure. The name is referenced in classic literature, like Voltaire's novella "Candide", published in 1759 and used in masculine form as the name of the main character. Tony Orlando was pining away for a woman that he wanted to make babies and live happily ever after with, no clue what Dawn had to do with it. I was once told that "Candida" was a fairly common name in Mexico, but very old-fashioned, like Ethel or Gertrude.I know it was a hit love song in the 70's and playing house felt romantic for my parents, hippy-types that could've named me Rainbow, Sunshine and poor Cassiopeia. Mom was 16, still drugged from my emergency delivery and madly in love with her new baby and new husband. I think it was "their song" and people that know it will inevitably sing it. Awww, thanks Mom & Dad. I know you had great intentions and a funky style. Listen and watch the 70's goodness here: https://youtu.be/WROdwlk9_h8I can also thank the Monistat commercials, pharmaceutical ads and health trends for educating the general public about the dreaded Candida yeast and its yucky symptoms. Such big vocabulary knowledge for the masses... My name was once a snicker reserved for medical pros and biology nerds. Later in life it became a fun connection for my friends, family and co-workers to tease me about. As if being 5'0" tall wasn't enough! The rare Classic Literature or Latin majors had mad respect and people that haven't made the infection connection say it's such a pretty name. Haven't we learned that Candida Albicans is normally present in all humans living in every moist bodily orifice? It's like those beneficial microbes that live in our gut and if imbalanced, result in explosive diarrhea for days. We need to know that this microorganism can have a population explosion from things like having a compromised immune system, a poor diet high in sugar, PH and hormone imbalance or prescribed meds/treatments like antibiotics, oral contraceptives and chemotherapy? Many a vicious diaper rash, ear infection and sore throat has been treated with antibiotics, only to be relentless and hang on. This is not just itchy lady-bits and chunky white stuff folks, it's CANDIDIASIS! Athlete's foot, jock itch and ringworm are close cousins - all treated easily with an OTC anti-fungal like miconazole. Yes, Vagisil topical cream and athlete's foot spray are rumored to be effective for ringworm. Some fungal/yeast infections are even UV reactive and can be diagnosed with a blacklight. You're welcome.The moral of this story: Candida is an unusual name, feminine with a nice meaning. Holding on to my parents romantic intentions and learning everything about the name has made me accept it gladly. I learned to beat people to the punch and expect the friends and family of anyone I date to ask, "where does she dance"? It's not really a name for the faint of heart, unless the person has an arsenal of facts about the name's origin, Latin root definition and how it's (really not) related to itchy crotches or mouth sores. The name classifies a group of microorganism by description or appearance, with a Latin root like most scientific names.
Hi my name is Candida, If anyone tries to call me Candy I politely tell them that I go by my actual full name, which is Candida and I love my name. It is a unique name and really if you want to make fun of the name you can, but you can do that with any name. Kids will be kids and if they don’t tease about your name they will find a distinct feature. I’m 47 years old and I’ve honestly only heard compliments about my name, until I bumped into the people saying such bullying remarks on this page. Kids or adults that are going to want to bully, will do it even if you have an average name... they will just add something mean that rhymes with it. I find Candida to be a Romantic and unique sounding name.
The sound of the name is actually quite pretty, but Candida is a species of yeast which causes vaginal and oral infection, among others, so it's just not usable. I would say choose Candy or Candace instead.
Maybe it can help for the meaning of the names of Candida: Anima Candida [a'~ ka'~] (lat.: white soul), innocent, pure, sincere soul.http://www.enciklopedija.hr/natuknica.aspx?id=2812 Greetings from Croatia.
Girls with the name Candida have had their entire lives to formulate their responses, so take them on at your peril (I'm also quite certain they've been in position to have to quite regularly, hence shame on the parents). Though if it makes any non-Candida named people feel better, I too had to get online to see if there was ANY POSSIBLE other meaning for this name.
I was just watching TV, and saw that a woman being interviewed was named Candida. I ended up here after googling it, because I thought for sure that she had given a fake name to the TV crew as a joke. Sorry to all the Candidas out there, but most people associate this word with yeast infections, that's just a fact. It reminds me of all the jokes about girls named Chlamydia: the name technically sounds fine, but the gross meaning is really off putting.
― Anonymous User 6/25/2018
6
My name is Cándida. The meaning is so beautiful and it is a very lovely name. Properly spelled it has an accent on the first "a" and thus is pronounced differently than the other. I find some of the comments above quite offensive and very small.
Being that my parents named me this name, and my nickname is Candy or Candi, I think many people are ignorant of its history and meaning. I have had numerous doctors, (all males) inform me of the meaning, along with the fact that it means white, without color, pure, candid, such as the candidates who are running for president in this election, I think not! I know many people named Candida, and they are very pleasant, friendly, and beautiful. In fact they are amazing in many respects. Saints have been named Candida. All I can say is that I feel sorry for anyone who thinks less of a person with this name, because we are all awesome people. In Portugal, this name is revered as beautiful and pure. So if you think otherwise, get a life and clean it up. Be more respectful and courteous. If you knew me you might be impressed by my accomplishments and kindness to others. Be a better person.
My name is Candida. I love it because it is as unique as I am. Yes it's a yeast infection but its also a diet and pornstar. I was named after the song Candida by Tony Orlando and Dawn in 1972. News flash... I'm not a copy, therefore my name is unique. To the ones being ugly... sadly you're just basic... I'm not.
My name is Candida. I am glad that I don't have a common name where I had to add my initial at the end... ex: there were two or three Kevins or Stevens or Tara's. So you would have to say Kevin S or Kevin B or Tara R. I don't want a nickname of Candy but I would rather use my given name and not be ashamed. To those who associate it to a yeast infection instead of seeing it as a unique and uncommon name that is very sad.
Candida is actually not very common as an English given name. However, it is fairly common as a Spanish given name, where it is written Cándida. [noted -ed]
About the "yeast infection" problem - I'm guessing that very few teenagers and absolutely no younger children would actually KNOW that Candida Albicans is the medical term for a yeast infection, so school teasing on that score wouldn't really be a problem. Actually, most adults probably don't know about the yeast thing either, so it wouldn't really be an issue unless she worked in the health care field. My problem with the name Candida is not the yeast issue, but the fact that the only real nickname for it is "Candi", which is the grandmother of all stripper names.
Since this is the name used for yeast infections, you might as well call your little daughter "Yeasty"."Hi, I'm Ellen Schaeffer and this is my daughter, Yeasty."See what I mean?
I agree with others that the fact that Candida means a type of yeast or fungus renders this name unusable, but I'd like to add my opinion that it's a darn shame. Because aside from that, Candida is a beautiful name.
That this is a medical term for "yeast infection", that fact alone should discourage most prospective parents from giving this to their daughters. Can you imagine the teasing that the poor girl would get in high school?!
As a doctor, I feel the need to inform any prospective parent considering use of this name that Candida is a common medical term, short for "Candida Albicans", aka "thrush", aka "yeast infection". Need I be more specific?
― Anonymous User 12/6/2008
4
The fact that it means "yeast infection" makes this name look disgusting. Without that, it's just an ugly name that can be shortened to the dumb nickname Candy.
The word for "shiny white" in Latin is candidus (masculine) and candida (feminine). That is why the yeast got the name. Not from Candida the name but from candida the (absence of) colour.Candidates for election in Rome used to wear the whitest clothing possible, to mirror their purity of heart, freedom from corruption, general worthiness etc - which is where the word 'candidate' also comes from.