Sydney

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Sydney

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

American hurdler and sprinter (born 1999)

Choose Sydney and your child shares a first name with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, an American hurdler and sprinter. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Sydney, like who?” Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's Wikipedia article is available in 42 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Erik van Leeuwen, attribution: Erik van Leeuwen (bron: Wikipedia)., GFDL (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 1,841 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Sydney, 873 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Sydney would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistorySydney has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Sydneys, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 2002, when it ranked #23. Today it's #348, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowSydney was 10× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 177 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 1,841.
• 🍂TrendSydney has slipped 107 places over the last five years and now sits at #348. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedSydney is most popular in Washington, D.C., where it ranks #73, followed by Delaware (#140) and Connecticut (#175). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• 💬MeaningIn Old English, Sydney means “wide island”. Our records link it to English and French roots.

About the name Sydney

Sydney is a girl 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 Sydney for girls from 1886 to 2025, in 131 of those 140 years. Its best year was 2002, when it ranked #23 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #348, with 873 babies.

Origin:English namesFrench names