Sidney
Sidney is given to both girls and boys: 105 girls and 146 boys were given it in 2025 (#1,878 among girls’ names and #1,327 among boys’, #1,915 among all names counting both); 108,987 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026). Boys have outnumbered girls among babies named Sidney every year since 2022.
An estimated 54,800 Americans named Sidney and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (50% of everyone recorded); the median is 35 years old and half are between 24 and 66.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Sidney by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Sidney mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Sidney is “a male or female given name transferred from the surname.” Its etymology gives the senses “wide” (sīd) and “island” (eġ).
From Old English *Sīdaneġ, the name of a place in Surrey, from sīd (“wide”) + eġ (“island”).
/ˈsɪdni/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Sidney?
#1,327 among boys’ names, 2025
Sidney fell from #1,088 in 2015 to #1,327 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 93.9 to 85.5 per million.
1,939 babies in 1918, the peak
Sidney peaked in 1918, when 1,939 babies were given it (1,879 boys, #94 among boys’ names). The 251 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 13% of that peak.
Births by 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 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 1999 | 1,218 | #258 | 353 | #566 |
| 1998 | 1,140 | #271 | 374 | #536 |
| 1997 | 1,009 | #285 | 383 | #523 |
| 1996 | 828 | #337 | 375 | #528 |
| 1995 | 883 | #315 | 412 | #503 |
| 1994 | 568 | #446 | 393 | #509 |
| 1993 | 420 | #567 | 401 | #513 |
| 1992 | 366 | #619 | 386 | #518 |
| 1991 | 325 | #666 | 383 | #508 |
| 1990 | 207 | #921 | 369 | #513 |
| 1989 | 170 | #1,010 | 345 | #516 |
| 1988 | 123 | #1,222 | 342 | #495 |
| 1987 | 96 | #1,402 | 322 | #496 |
| 1986 | 75 | #1,600 | 311 | #495 |
| 1985 | 83 | #1,487 | 351 | #460 |
| 1984 | 64 | #1,724 | 311 | #476 |
| 1983 | 51 | #2,018 | 330 | #460 |
| 1982 | 49 | #2,107 | 333 | #463 |
| 1981 | 41 | #2,402 | 335 | #453 |
| 1980 | 29 | #3,058 | 353 | #440 |
| 1979 | 31 | #2,849 | 322 | #453 |
| 1978 | 36 | #2,463 | 296 | #471 |
| 1977 | 40 | #2,300 | 345 | #426 |
| 1976 | 23 | #3,171 | 344 | #418 |
| 1975 | 41 | #2,130 | 347 | #418 |
| 1974 | 29 | #2,602 | 366 | #409 |
| 1973 | 25 | #2,817 | 381 | #399 |
| 1972 | 34 | #2,268 | 462 | #365 |
| 1971 | 29 | #2,587 | 445 | #380 |
| 1970 | 39 | #2,112 | 509 | #361 |
| 1969 | 32 | #2,288 | 549 | #331 |
| 1968 | 37 | #1,994 | 572 | #317 |
| 1967 | 53 | #1,557 | 593 | #302 |
| 1966 | 66 | #1,347 | 615 | #300 |
| 1965 | 53 | #1,543 | 638 | #298 |
| 1964 | 57 | #1,515 | 731 | #289 |
| 1963 | 65 | #1,387 | 672 | #300 |
| 1962 | 59 | #1,453 | 782 | #276 |
| 1961 | 57 | #1,494 | 844 | #271 |
| 1960 | 92 | #1,136 | 848 | #275 |
| 1959 | 72 | #1,271 | 825 | #277 |
| 1958 | 94 | #1,087 | 827 | #269 |
| 1957 | 86 | #1,141 | 844 | #260 |
| 1956 | 81 | #1,156 | 954 | #237 |
| 1955 | 92 | #1,053 | 1,024 | #225 |
| 1954 | 94 | #1,012 | 1,024 | #216 |
| 1953 | 89 | #1,023 | 1,014 | #213 |
| 1952 | 109 | #885 | 1,018 | #208 |
| 1951 | 97 | #942 | 1,026 | #202 |
| 1950 | 78 | #1,037 | 1,076 | #195 |
| 1949 | 88 | #956 | 946 | #208 |
| 1948 | 73 | #1,037 | 991 | #199 |
| 1947 | 116 | #813 | 1,099 | #189 |
| 1946 | 90 | #878 | 1,010 | #183 |
| 1945 | 89 | #802 | 828 | #186 |
| 1944 | 85 | #831 | 901 | #180 |
| 1943 | 137 | #650 | 1,016 | #173 |
| 1942 | 116 | #694 | 1,000 | #169 |
| 1941 | 83 | #797 | 891 | #172 |
| 1940 | 74 | #833 | 926 | #169 |
| 1939 | 63 | #888 | 861 | #173 |
| 1938 | 89 | #729 | 876 | #168 |
| 1937 | 63 | #875 | 905 | #163 |
| 1936 | 81 | #747 | 952 | #156 |
| 1935 | 93 | #700 | 973 | #153 |
| 1934 | 78 | #763 | 932 | #159 |
| 1933 | 77 | #753 | 948 | #152 |
| 1932 | 57 | #939 | 960 | #159 |
| 1931 | 48 | #1,020 | 937 | #158 |
| 1930 | 48 | #1,071 | 1,076 | #150 |
| 1929 | 55 | #978 | 1,058 | #149 |
| 1928 | 60 | #965 | 1,206 | #142 |
| 1927 | 54 | #1,054 | 1,381 | #127 |
| 1926 | 69 | #900 | 1,350 | #129 |
| 1925 | 44 | #1,174 | 1,345 | #131 |
| 1924 | 58 | #1,016 | 1,502 | #119 |
| 1923 | 62 | #939 | 1,543 | #115 |
| 1922 | 51 | #1,076 | 1,618 | #110 |
| 1921 | 61 | #954 | 1,588 | #110 |
| 1920 | 54 | #1,016 | 1,610 | #107 |
| 1919 | 60 | #915 | 1,715 | #96 |
| 1918 | 60 | #927 | 1,879 | #94 |
| 1917 | 55 | #942 | 1,727 | #95 |
| 1916 | 54 | #939 | 1,659 | #95 |
| 1915 | 63 | #827 | 1,615 | #94 |
| 1914 | 39 | #951 | 1,337 | #89 |
| 1913 | 43 | #808 | 1,073 | #90 |
| 1912 | 26 | #1,028 | 1,003 | #80 |
| 1911 | 24 | #896 | 432 | #92 |
| 1910 | 14 | #1,260 | 353 | #93 |
| 1909 | 12 | #1,276 | 233 | #119 |
| 1908 | 24 | #807 | 253 | #101 |
| 1907 | 20 | #866 | 200 | #119 |
| 1906 | 16 | #957 | 209 | #101 |
| 1905 | 17 | #920 | 196 | #109 |
| 1904 | 21 | #804 | 201 | #107 |
| 1903 | 19 | #809 | 162 | #122 |
| 1902 | 28 | #639 | 175 | #110 |
| 1901 | 17 | #824 | 134 | #123 |
| 1900 | 23 | #777 | 218 | #108 |
| 1899 | 12 | #974 | 144 | #115 |
| 1898 | 18 | #814 | 171 | #109 |
| 1897 | 22 | #678 | 149 | #115 |
| 1896 | 18 | #787 | 176 | #105 |
| 1895 | 18 | #768 | 178 | #106 |
| 1894 | 11 | #990 | 168 | #107 |
| 1893 | 17 | #736 | 163 | #108 |
| 1892 | 17 | #723 | 174 | #106 |
| 1891 | 22 | #571 | 113 | #124 |
| 1890 | 15 | #722 | 176 | #100 |
| 1889 | 15 | #683 | 144 | #111 |
| 1888 | 10 | #884 | 168 | #101 |
| 1887 | 8 | #930 | 144 | #101 |
| 1886 | 10 | #771 | 155 | #101 |
| 1885 | 10 | #737 | 170 | #88 |
| 1884 | 11 | #677 | 142 | #107 |
| 1883 | 9 | #687 | 165 | #86 |
| 1882 | 9 | #671 | 146 | #100 |
| 1881 | 16 | #431 | 129 | #99 |
| 1880 | 16 | #433 | 142 | #96 |
Ranks: girls’ names and boys’ names ranked separately in each year’s SSA file; “under 5” is a year SSA did not list the name for that sex.
Is Sidney a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 108,987 Americans recorded as Sidney, 23% are girls and 77% boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Sidney: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Sidney, and how old are they?
54,800 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 50% of the 108,987 Americans ever recorded as Sidney. The median Sidney alive today is 35 years old; half are between 24 and 66.
The 2020 Census counted 53,874 people named Sidney (20,567 women and girls, 33,307 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 58,519 born in the U.S. The Census count is 8% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 3,680 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 12,600 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 6,790 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 9,670 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 17,300 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 4,700 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Sidney born?
The states with the most babies named Sidney are New York, Texas and California, with 27% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 11,910 | #1,108 | 1.4× |
| Texas | 7,315 | #2,525 | 1.0× |
| California | 5,655 | #1,353 | 0.7× |
| Louisiana | 5,391 | not ranked | 2.7× |
| Pennsylvania | 4,440 | #995 | 0.7× |
| Illinois | 3,957 | #1,004 | 0.7× |
| Georgia | 3,930 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| North Carolina | 3,857 | #926 | 1.2× |
| Virginia | 3,105 | #868 | 1.2× |
| Florida | 3,043 | #1,804 | 1.1× |
Where Sidney is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Sidney is most over-represented in Louisiana: since 1910 it was given 2.7 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Sidney with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 5 names spelled alike, given to 307,920 babies since 1880, Sidney is the second most given (35% of them). In 2025 it was given to 251 of their 1,162 babies (22%), again the second most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Sidney
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Sidney and names like it
- Compare Sidney and SydneyBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1910sSidney peaked in 1918.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Sidney since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Sidney: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1918The year the most babies were named Sidney.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Sidney alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with SMost given first.