Sidney

Did you know?

A few things about Sidney you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Sidney

Sidney Lumet

American director, producer and screenwriter (1924–2011)

Choose Sidney and your child shares a first name with Sidney Lumet, an American director, producer and screenwriter. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Sidney, like who?” Sidney Lumet's Wikipedia article is available in 73 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Sidney Lumet on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: gdcgraphics at https://www.flickr.com/photos/gdcgraphics/, CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 11,696 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Sidney, 146 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Sidney would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistorySidney has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Sidneys, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1912, when it ranked #80. Today it's #1,323, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendSidney has slipped 163 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,323. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedSidney is most popular in South Carolina, where it ranks #743, followed by Massachusetts (#789) and Virginia (#798). It's in the top 1,000 in 8 states.
• ⚖️Boy or girlSidney is given to both boys and girls: 58% of the 251 babies named Sidney in 2025 were boys. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningIn Old English, Sidney means “wide island”. Our records link it to English and French roots.

About the name Sidney

Sidney is a gender-neutral name of English and French origin meaning “wide island”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with S and ending in “-ney”. US birth records list Sidney for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1912, when it ranked #80 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,323, with 146 babies. Of the 251 US babies named Sidney in 2025, 42% were girls and 58% were boys.

Origin:English namesFrench names