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Home › Baby Names Directory › Sidney

Sidney

♀ Girl

Pronounced SIHD-nee /ˈsɪd.ni/Medium

Meaning: Wide meadow, wide island (or from Saint-Denis)Medium

In 30 seconds: Sidney is an English girl's name meaning 'wide meadow' or 'wide island', possibly from Saint-Denis.
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Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningWide meadow, wide island (or from Saint-Denis)
U.S. rank (2025)#1878 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births105 girls (0.01% of U.S. girls)
Peak year2000
Total births (all-time)≈ 24,785

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 200018802025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Sidney carries the meaning 'wide meadow' or 'wide island', and some accounts trace it instead to the French place name Saint-Denis. It began as a surname and place name before becoming a given name in English. The variant Sidnei shows the spelling traveling into other languages.

As a girl's name Sidney keeps its soft two-syllable sound while reading as fresh and unisex. Bearers recorded under the name include Sidney Moncrief and Sidney Sonnino.

Did you know? Sidney reached first-name use through a surname route, which gives it that modern borrowed-from-history feel; it means 'wide meadow/wide island' from Old English sid and eg.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Sidney — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

Sidnei

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Sidney Moncrief (1957–present)
    Male public figure listed on Behind the Name.
  • ★Sidney Sonnino (1847–1922)
    Male public figure listed on Behind the Name.

If you like Sidney…

Sydney— The common Y-spelled form of the same 'wide meadow' name.
Lindsey— a similarly popular pick
Shirley— echoes that soft -ey sound
Kenley— shares Sidney's English roots
Hartley— another unisex pick

Explore names like Sidney

By themeenglishunisexsurname-style
By meaningEarth / Nature

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Sidney mean?

Sidney comes from a surname meaning 'wide meadow/wide island', from Old English sid ('wide') and eg ('island, well-watered land'); it may alternatively derive from the French place name Saint-Denis.

How do you pronounce Sidney?

It's commonly said SIHD-nee /ˈsɪd.ni/.

Is Sidney a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Sidney is used as a girl name.

How popular is Sidney?

In 2024, Sidney ranked #1734 in the U.S. for girls, with 117 births recorded.

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