Unisex name ★ peaked 1918

Sidney

Meaning wide Gender Unisex · 23% girls Rank 2025 #1,327 Trend ↓ Falling 10%

From Old English *Sīdaneġ, the name of a place in Surrey, from sīd (“wide”) + eġ (“island”).

Rank 2025
#1,327
among boys · ↑53 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
251
named Sidney · -1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 11,699
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1918
1,939 babies
All-time total
108,987
#350 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Sidney popularity over time

108,987 babies have been named Sidney since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 114 1,505 1,619 162 – #86
1890s 170 1,612 1,782 178 +10% #100
1900s 197 1,981 2,178 218 +22% #101
1910s 438 12,793 13,231 1,323 +507% #80
1920s 568 14,201 14,769 1,477 +12% #107
1930s 697 9,420 10,117 1,012 -31% #150
1940s 951 9,608 10,559 1,056 +4% #169
1950s 892 9,632 10,524 1,052 0% #195
1960s 571 6,844 7,415 742 -30% #271
1970s 327 3,817 4,144 414 -44% #361
1980s 781 3,333 4,114 411 -1% #440
1990s 6,964 3,829 10,793 1,079 +162% #503
2000s 8,401 2,729 11,130 1,113 +3% #595
2010s 2,894 1,991 4,885 489 -56% #828
2020s (to 2025) 820 907 1,727 288 -41% #1,164

Where Sidney is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 144 0.08 outside top 500
2027 142 0.08 outside top 500
2028 140 0.08 outside top 500
2029 139 0.08 outside top 500
2030 138 0.08 outside top 500

Where Sidney is most popular

Boys named Sidney per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.086 per 1,000. Strongest in Massachusetts, Louisiana, and New York.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Sidney born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Massachusetts 31 0.225 +163%
Louisiana 21 0.205 +139%
New York 61 0.141 +64%
Pennsylvania 36 0.136 +58%
California 90 0.098 +15%
South Carolina 10 0.097 +13%
Oregon 7 0.092 +7%
Illinois 23 0.090 +5%
Georgia 21 0.083 ≈ national
North Carolina 21 0.082 ≈ national
Tennessee 13 0.072 -16%
Virginia 13 0.069 -20%
Maryland 7 0.059 -32%
Minnesota 7 0.057 -33%
Florida 27 0.057 -34%
Oklahoma 5 0.057 -34%
Texas 45 0.051 -40%
Washington 7 0.043 -50%
New Jersey 5 0.025 -71%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Sidney

Sidney is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,327 in 2025 with 146 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 108,987 American babies have been named Sidney, about 77% boys and 23% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1918, when 1,939 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Sidney stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Sidney?

The median living Sidney is about 36 years old; half are between 23 and 67. An estimated 57 thousand people named Sidney are alive in the United States today.

median 36 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Sidney year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 105 #1,878 146 #1,327
2024 117 #1,742 137 #1,380
2023 128 #1,634 160 #1,233
2022 165 #1,394 166 #1,203
2021 164 #1,351 132 #1,393
2020 141 #1,515 166 #1,164
2019 179 #1,290 177 #1,115
2018 215 #1,140 168 #1,150
2017 225 #1,122 177 #1,103
2016 260 #1,021 196 #1,026
2015 270 #1,002 180 #1,088
2014 295 #916 167 #1,141
2013 282 #908 210 #954
2012 323 #832 226 #919
2011 413 #681 231 #894
2010 432 #670 259 #828
2009 571 #530 254 #847
2008 583 #525 270 #814
2007 668 #487 254 #842
2006 745 #426 255 #804
2005 834 #378 222 #838
2004 836 #374 267 #719
2003 951 #330 285 #681
2002 939 #326 274 #677
2001 1,053 #296 315 #615
2000 1,221 #265 333 #595
1995 883 #315 412 #503
1990 207 #923 369 #514
1985 83 #1,488 351 #460
1980 29 #3,058 353 #440
1975 41 #2,130 347 #418
1970 39 #2,112 509 #361
1965 53 #1,543 638 #298
1960 92 #1,137 848 #275
1955 92 #1,054 1,024 #225
1950 78 #1,038 1,076 #195
1945 89 #802 828 #186
1940 74 #833 926 #169
1935 93 #700 973 #153
1930 48 #1,071 1,076 #150
1925 44 #1,174 1,345 #131
1920 54 #1,016 1,610 #107
1915 63 #827 1,615 #94
1910 14 #1,260 353 #93
1905 17 #920 196 #109
1900 23 #777 218 #108
1895 18 #768 178 #106
1890 15 #722 176 #100
1885 10 #737 170 #88
1880 16 #433 142 #96

Famous people named Sidney

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Sidney Crosby Sidney Crosby Canadian ice hockey player (born 1987) Contemporary
  2. 2 Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier Bahamian-American actor, filmmaker, diplomat and author (1927–2022) Contemporary
  3. 3 Sidney Lumet Sidney Lumet American filmmaker (1924–2011) Contemporary
  4. 4 Sidney Sheldon Sidney Sheldon American writer (1917–2007) Contemporary
  5. 5 Sidney Reilly Sidney Reilly Russian-born adventurer and secret agent (1873–1925) 19th century
  6. 6 Sidney Moncrief Sidney Moncrief American basketball player-coach (born 1957) Contemporary
  7. 7 Sidney Govou Sidney Govou French footballer (born 1979) Contemporary
  8. 8 Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer (1897–1959) 19th century
  9. 9 Sidney Blackmer Sidney Blackmer American actor (1895–1973) 19th century
  10. 10 Sidney Howard Sidney Howard American writer (1891–1939) 19th century
  11. 11 Sidney Lanier Sidney Lanier American musician and poet (1842–1881) 19th century
  12. 12 Sidney Nolan Sidney Nolan Australian artist (1917–1992) Contemporary
  13. 13 Sidney Paget Sidney Paget English illustrator (1860–1908) 19th century
  14. 14 Sidney Webb, 1st Baron Passfield Sidney Webb, 1st Baron Passfield English socialist economist (1859–1947) 19th century
  15. 15 Sidney Coleman Sidney Coleman American physicist (1937–2007) Contemporary
  16. 16 Sidney Sonnino Sidney Sonnino Italian politician (1847–1922) 19th century
  17. 17 Sidney Fox Sidney Fox American actress (1907–1942) Contemporary
  18. 18 Sidney Altman Sidney Altman Canadian-American molecular biologist (1939–2022) Contemporary
  19. 19 Sidney Franklin Sidney Franklin American film director 1893–1972 · 19th century
  20. 20 Sidney Sam Sidney Sam German professional footballer (born 1988) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Sidney, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Sidney?

The median living Sidney is about 36 years old. Half of all living Sidneys are between 23 and 67 years old.

How many people named Sidney are alive today?

An estimated 57 thousand people named Sidney are alive in the United States, based on 108,987 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Sidney mean?

From Old English *Sīdaneġ, the name of a place in Surrey, from sīd (“wide”) + eġ (“island”).

How popular is the name Sidney in 2025?

Sidney ranked #1,327 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 146 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sidney?

108,987 babies have been named Sidney in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sidney most popular?

Sidney peaked in 1918, when 1,939 newborns received the name.

Is Sidney a boy or girl name?

Sidney is used for both: about 23% of babies named Sidney have been girls and 77% boys.

Is the name Sidney rising or falling?

Sidney has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Sidney become more popular?

Sidney looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 138 boys named Sidney in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Sidney?

Well-known people named Sidney include Sidney Crosby (hockey player), Sidney Poitier (actor), Sidney Lumet (film director).

Names like Sidney

Names that sound and feel close to Sidney: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Sidney with similar names → More names starting with S →