Sidney

Meaning: Wide island
Origin: English surname — Possibly also from Saint-Denis in France

Nicknames: Sid

Boy's name · #1327 in the US (2025) · Timeless

52% boys · 48% girls — Sidney is split almost evenly between girls and boys among recent newborns. Sidney →

Popularity over time

Sidney holds its lane: charted since 1880 and rarely far from where it stands today (#1327 in 2025). About 84,000 boys have carried it along the way. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Sidney is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 14 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Sidney ranks in other countries and regions.

#203 in England & Wales (2025) · #333 in Scotland (2025) · #699 in Canada (2025) · #2,144 in Sweden (2025) · #2,987 in France (2025) · #22,767 in Italy (2024) · #404 in N. Ireland (2024) · #6,726 in Ecuador (2024) · #3,268 in Austria (2023) · #779 in Ireland (2022) · #349 in New Zealand (2021) · #891 in Poland (2016) and 2 more.

Famous Sidneys

Sidney Poitier — Bahamian-American actor, filmmaker, diplomat and author (1927–2022)
Sidney Lumet — American filmmaker (1924–2011)
Sidney Sheldon — American writer (1917–2007)
Sidney Altman — Canadian-American molecular biologist (1939–2022)
Sidney Govou — French footballer (born 1979)
Sidney Crosby — Canadian ice hockey player (born 1987)
Sidney Bechet — American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer (1897–1959)
Sidney Sonnino — Italian politician (1847–1922)
Sidney Paget — English illustrator (1860–1908)
Sidney Webb — English socialist economist (1859–1947)

In stories & tradition

Sidney^it — Pokémon Emerald (video game)
Sidney Potte — Little Nellie Kelly (musical stage work)

What Sidneys become

Among 1,135 notable people named Sidney:

Lawyers & judges appear 1.59× more often than among typical names — e.g. Sidney Edgerton, United States lawyer and politician (1818–1900).

Similar names: Nick · Syed · Lonnie · Gilbert · Aubrey · Freddie

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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