Unisex name · since 1880
Sidney
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 84,202 babies named Sidney, peaking in 1918. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #350 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,323 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 84,202
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Sidney currently ranks #1323 among unisex names in America, with 84,202 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sidney has been recorded 84,202 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #1323 nationally and more common than 91% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #350 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,323 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 84,202 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sidney ranks #350 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,323 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 84,202 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #350 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,323 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 84,202
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Sidney's 84,202 recorded births place it above 99.23% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Sidney compares
84,202 Top 3% higher than 97% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Sidney's all-time total is 228x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sidney | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 84,202 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,879 | 34 | 22,252 |
Sidney's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Sidney's full recorded timeline at 1953, 36% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 64% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1891, with just 113 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 1,879 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Sidney popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 1,879
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Sidney popularity over time - girls
24,785 total births recorded since 1880 (Sidney as girls' name)
Sidney by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (14,201 births, 17% of the file).
1920s was Sidney's strongest decade.
14,201 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Sidney births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,505
1880s
1,505 births
- 1890s 1,612
1890s
1,612 births
- 1900s 1,981
1900s
1,981 births
- 1910s
1910s
12,793 births
- 1920s
1920s
14,201 births
- 1930s
1930s
9,420 births
- 1940s
1940s
9,608 births
- 1950s
1950s
9,632 births
- 1960s
1960s
6,844 births
- 1970s 3,817
1970s
3,817 births
- 1980s 3,333
1980s
3,333 births
- 1990s 3,829
1990s
3,829 births
- 2000s 2,729
2000s
2,729 births
- 2010s 1,991
2010s
1,991 births
- 2020s 907
2020s
907 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 14,201 births (17% of all-time use).
How Sidney compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Sidney's total volume
Sidney by state
Where Sidney concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 11,112 | 13.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 5,199 | 6.2% |
| #3 | Louisiana | | 5,103 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 3,784 | 4.5% |
| #5 | California | | 3,483 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 3,235 | 3.8% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 3,180 | 3.8% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 3,151 | 3.7% |
11,112 of 84,202 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Sidney appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sidney? ▼
Where does Sidney sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Sidney most popular? ▼
Where is Sidney most popular? ▼
Is Sidney a unisex name? ▼
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What names are similar to Sidney? ▼
What to do with Sidney's data
- Sidney's decade-level peak was the 1920s (14,201 total births); usage has since declined to 907 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Sidneys (11,112 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sidney
Nearby Names Like Sidney
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sidney
Compare Sidney side by side: Sidney vs Siddharth Sidney vs Sid Sidney vs Sidharth
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sidney
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sidney: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1918)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Sidney draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.