Sidney
- Gender
- Mostly boys
- Say it
- SID-nee
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #215 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,323 for boys
Vintage revival
Sidney is a name of English origin, meaning “wide island”. In 2025 it ranked 215th for boys in the UK (257 babies) and 1,323rd for boys in the US (146 babies).
What does Sidney mean?
English: surname from an English place name
“wide island”
From an English surname made famous by the Elizabethan poet and soldier Sir Philip Sidney.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Sidney a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Sidney has been given to girls and boys, mostly boys. In 2025, it was given to 28 girls and 257 boys in the UK and 105 girls and 146 boys in the US.
How popular is Sidney in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #215among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 257about 1 in 1,200 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 2% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 1.2%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 257 boys in the UK were named Sidney, making it the 215th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 215th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 322 boys. 28 girls were also named Sidney in 2025 (1,217th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Sidney in the UK since 1996 were born between 2009 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 279 boys in the UK were given Sidney or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #211, up from #215 for this spelling alone.
- Sidney 257
- Sydney 22
In 2025, 10% of the babies named Sidney in the UK were girls.
Among boys in 2025, it was 203rd in England and Wales and 333rd in Scotland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#27), 1914 (#31), 1924 (#45), 1934 (#69) and 1944 (#99).
Sidney in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 257 | #215 |
| 2024 | 230 | #237 |
| 2023 | 252 | #218 |
| 2022 | 270 | #214 |
| 2021 | 322 | #190 |
| 2020 | 259 | #215 |
| 2019 | 250 | #234 |
| 2018 | 246 | #235 |
| 2017 | 224 | #266 |
| 2016 | 225 | #267 |
| 2015 | 251 | #251 |
| 2014 | 210 | #271 |
| 2013 | 222 | #254 |
| 2012 | 212 | #260 |
| 2011 | 186 | #283 |
| 2010 | 204 | #260 |
| 2009 | 184 | #270 |
| 2008 | 177 | #274 |
| 2007 | 139 | #312 |
| 2006 | 137 | #291 |
| 2005 | 106 | #330 |
| 2004 | 92 | #356 |
| 2003 | 72 | #398 |
| 2002 | 66 | #401 |
| 2001 | 51 | #460 |
| 2000 | 60 | #413 |
| 1999 | 55 | #444 |
| 1998 | 53 | #454 |
| 1997 | 44 | #486 |
| 1996 | 47 | #451 |
How popular is Sidney in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,323among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 146about 1 in 12,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 13% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 146 boys in the US were named Sidney, making it the 1,323rd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,160th. Its busiest year was 1918, with 1,879 boys. 105 girls were also named Sidney in 2025 (1,872nd for girls).
Half of all the boys named Sidney in the US since 1880 were born between 1921 and 1962, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 166 boys in the US were given Sidney or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,103, up from #1,323 for this spelling alone.
- Sidney 146
- Sydney 20
Girls were 10% of the babies named Sidney in the US in 1880, and 42% in 2025.
Sidney in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 146 | #1,323 |
| 2024 | 137 | #1,371 |
| 2023 | 160 | #1,230 |
| 2022 | 166 | #1,200 |
| 2021 | 132 | #1,383 |
| 2020 | 166 | #1,160 |
| 2019 | 177 | #1,112 |
| 2018 | 168 | #1,141 |
| 2017 | 177 | #1,100 |
| 2016 | 196 | #1,022 |
| 2015 | 180 | #1,086 |
| 2014 | 167 | #1,137 |
| 2013 | 210 | #948 |
| 2012 | 226 | #916 |
| 2011 | 231 | #893 |
| 2010 | 259 | #827 |
| 2009 | 254 | #843 |
| 2008 | 270 | #812 |
| 2007 | 254 | #839 |
| 2006 | 255 | #801 |
| 2005 | 222 | #834 |
| 2004 | 267 | #717 |
| 2003 | 285 | #680 |
| 2002 | 274 | #676 |
| 2001 | 315 | #612 |
| 2000 | 333 | #593 |
| 1999 | 353 | #564 |
| 1998 | 374 | #535 |
| 1997 | 383 | #523 |
| 1996 | 375 | #528 |
| 1995 | 412 | #503 |
| 1994 | 393 | #509 |
| 1993 | 401 | #513 |
| 1992 | 386 | #516 |
| 1991 | 383 | #506 |
| 1990 | 369 | #513 |
| 1989 | 345 | #516 |
| 1988 | 342 | #494 |
| 1987 | 322 | #496 |
| 1986 | 311 | #495 |
| 1985 | 351 | #459 |
| 1984 | 311 | #475 |
| 1983 | 330 | #459 |
| 1982 | 333 | #463 |
| 1981 | 335 | #451 |
| 1980 | 353 | #440 |
| 1979 | 322 | #451 |
| 1978 | 296 | #469 |
| 1977 | 345 | #425 |
| 1976 | 344 | #418 |
| 1975 | 347 | #418 |
| 1974 | 366 | #408 |
| 1973 | 381 | #399 |
| 1972 | 462 | #364 |
| 1971 | 445 | #380 |
| 1970 | 509 | #361 |
| 1969 | 549 | #331 |
| 1968 | 572 | #317 |
| 1967 | 593 | #302 |
| 1966 | 615 | #300 |
| 1965 | 638 | #297 |
| 1964 | 731 | #289 |
| 1963 | 672 | #299 |
| 1962 | 782 | #276 |
| 1961 | 844 | #271 |
| 1960 | 848 | #275 |
| 1959 | 825 | #277 |
| 1958 | 827 | #269 |
| 1957 | 844 | #260 |
| 1956 | 954 | #237 |
| 1955 | 1,024 | #225 |
| 1954 | 1,024 | #216 |
| 1953 | 1,014 | #213 |
| 1952 | 1,018 | #208 |
| 1951 | 1,026 | #202 |
| 1950 | 1,076 | #195 |
| 1949 | 946 | #208 |
| 1948 | 991 | #199 |
| 1947 | 1,099 | #189 |
| 1946 | 1,010 | #183 |
| 1945 | 828 | #185 |
| 1944 | 901 | #180 |
| 1943 | 1,016 | #173 |
| 1942 | 1,000 | #169 |
| 1941 | 891 | #172 |
| 1940 | 926 | #169 |
| 1939 | 861 | #173 |
| 1938 | 876 | #168 |
| 1937 | 905 | #163 |
| 1936 | 952 | #156 |
| 1935 | 973 | #153 |
| 1934 | 932 | #158 |
| 1933 | 948 | #152 |
| 1932 | 960 | #158 |
| 1931 | 937 | #158 |
| 1930 | 1,076 | #150 |
| 1929 | 1,058 | #149 |
| 1928 | 1,206 | #142 |
| 1927 | 1,381 | #127 |
| 1926 | 1,350 | #129 |
| 1925 | 1,345 | #131 |
| 1924 | 1,502 | #119 |
| 1923 | 1,543 | #115 |
| 1922 | 1,618 | #110 |
| 1921 | 1,588 | #110 |
| 1920 | 1,610 | #107 |
| 1919 | 1,715 | #96 |
| 1918 | 1,879 | #94 |
| 1917 | 1,727 | #95 |
| 1916 | 1,659 | #95 |
| 1915 | 1,615 | #94 |
| 1914 | 1,337 | #89 |
| 1913 | 1,073 | #89 |
| 1912 | 1,003 | #80 |
| 1911 | 432 | #92 |
| 1910 | 353 | #93 |
| 1909 | 233 | #119 |
| 1908 | 253 | #101 |
| 1907 | 200 | #119 |
| 1906 | 209 | #101 |
| 1905 | 196 | #109 |
| 1904 | 201 | #106 |
| 1903 | 162 | #122 |
| 1902 | 175 | #109 |
| 1901 | 134 | #123 |
| 1900 | 218 | #107 |
| 1899 | 144 | #115 |
| 1898 | 171 | #109 |
| 1897 | 149 | #115 |
| 1896 | 176 | #105 |
| 1895 | 178 | #105 |
| 1894 | 168 | #107 |
| 1893 | 163 | #107 |
| 1892 | 174 | #106 |
| 1891 | 113 | #122 |
| 1890 | 176 | #100 |
| 1889 | 144 | #110 |
| 1888 | 168 | #101 |
| 1887 | 144 | #101 |
| 1886 | 155 | #100 |
| 1885 | 170 | #88 |
| 1884 | 142 | #107 |
| 1883 | 165 | #86 |
| 1882 | 146 | #99 |
| 1881 | 129 | #97 |
| 1880 | 142 | #95 |
Nicknames for Sidney
- Sid 19 boys in the UK in 2025
Names like Sidney
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Stanley Wilfred Frederick Albert Ralph Alfred Henry Harley Arthur Edward Francis Chester
Other spellings of Sidney
Names related to Sidney
More English names
Lily Evelyn Hudson Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Hallie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Sidney: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/sidney, updated 20 October 2026.