Unisex name · since 1886

Sydney

Since 1886, U.S. Social Security records show 178,296 babies named Sydney, peaking in 2000. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#224 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#348 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
178,296
born since 1886
2000s
peak decade

178,296 babies have been named Sydney since 1886, making it today's #348 unisex name.

Social Security Administration records show Sydney recorded 178,296 times among girls since 1886, holding rank #348 nationally today, ahead of 98% of girls, peaking in the 2000s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1886 to 2025.

  • #224 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #348 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 178,296 born since 1886
  • 2000s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sydney ranks #224 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #348 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 178,296 born since 1886, peaking in the 2000s.

#224 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#348 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
178,296
born since 1886
2000s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%97.9%
Sydney vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Sydney's 178,296 recorded births place it above 99.69% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

51 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Sydney compares

178,296 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,297 names currently given to girls

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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

Sydney's all-time total is 474x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Sydney Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 178,296 376 567,345
Peak-year births 10,243 21 19,840

Sydney's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Sydney splits its recorded history at 1960: 97% of all births land in the more recent half, 3% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1896 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2000 peak of 10,243 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Sydney popularity over time - girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1886–2025

Top 1,000 girls' name
Peak year (2000)
10,243
Annual births at peak, across 140 years of records
05,00010,00015,000 188619121929194619631980199720142025 873

Sydney popularity over time - boys

9,404 total births recorded since 1880 (Sydney as boys' name)

Unisex variant - 9,404 births
050100150200250 188018991918193719561975199420132025 20

Sydney by decade

2000s is the heaviest window (76,444 births, 43% of the file).

2000s was Sydney's strongest decade.

76,444 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 43% of all-time use.

Sydney births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2000s at 76,444 births (43% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Sydney compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Sydney's total volume

Sydney vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8% 406080100120140160 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -146, 2.2%-145, 4.5%-146, 1.3%-94, 5.4%-146, 3.6%-112, 6.9%-146, 2.6%-87, 4.1%-63, 4.8%-146, 3.4%-146, 4.2%-146, 2.7%-146, 2.5%-146, 4.1%-124, 4.1%Sydney-140, 5.7%Sydney
Sydney vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Sydney by state

Where Sydney concentrates geographically, total births since 1886

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Sydney
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
16,909 9.5%
#2 Texas
12,803 7.2%
#3 Ohio
8,399 4.7%
#4 New York
8,156 4.6%
#5 Illinois
7,490 4.2%
#6 Florida
7,469 4.2%
#7 Pennsylvania
6,866 3.9%
#8 Michigan
6,789 3.8%
California share of Sydney's total US births 9.5%
Even split

16,909 of 178,296 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Sydney appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Sydney? ▼
178,296 babies have been named Sydney since 1886. All-time, it sits at #224 of 72,339 girls' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #348 of 17,297 among girls. The peak year was 2000 with 10,243 births.
Where does Sydney sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sydney ranks #224 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #348 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Sydney most popular? ▼
Sydney was most popular in the 2000s decade with 76,444 total births. The single peak year was 2000.
Where is Sydney most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sydney are California (16,909 births), Texas (12,803 births), Ohio (8,399 births).
Is Sydney a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Sydney is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 178,296 births, and as a boy's name it has 9,404 births.
How long has the name Sydney been used? ▼
Records for Sydney go back to 1886, giving 140 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Sydney? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Sydnee, Sydni, Sydnie, Sydne, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Sydney's data

  • Sydney's decade-level peak was the 2000s (76,444 total births); usage has since declined to 6,626 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • California records the most Sydneys (16,909 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Sydney

Nearby Names Like Sydney

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sydney

Sydnee Girl
#7556 8,255 births
Sydni Girl
#11078 5,361 births
Sydnie Girl
#10195 5,187 births
Sydne Girl
876 births
Sydelle Girl
#10152 754 births

Compare Sydney side by side: Sydney vs Sydnee Sydney vs Sydni Sydney vs Sydnie

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Sydney

Angelina #347
126,281 births · Peak 2005
Rebecca #349
755,992 births · Peak 1981
Paige #346
146,734 births · Peak 2003
Malia #350
31,606 births · Peak 2009
Aylin #345
16,872 births · Peak 2015
Maryam #351
13,845 births · Peak 2025
Ryleigh #344
35,139 births · Peak 2019
Hope #352
97,225 births · Peak 2000

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Sydney: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1886–2025 (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 Sydney 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.