UK name, mostly boys
Sidney
A diminutive form of the Old English name Sidney meaning "wide meadow".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Sidney is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Sidney popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #220, with 224 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2021, with 319 births.
This profile covers 4,801 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 70% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 4,804 living people in the UK are called Sidney. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Sidney ranked #220 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 224 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2021, when 319 boys were registered as Sidney.
- • Sidney ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #404 in 2024.
- • About 4,804 living people in the UK are estimated to have Sidney as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 92.1% of Sidney registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#220
2024
Births in 2024
224
Latest year
Peak year
2021
319 births
Estimated living
4,804
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Sidney
In England and Wales birth records, Sidney has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 92.1% of registrations are for boys and 7.9% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Sidney registered for boys
- Ranked #220 in 2024
- 224 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (319 births)
Sidney registered for girls
- Ranked #1,128 in 2024
- 30 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (39 births)
Meaning
What does Sidney mean?
The given name Sidney has its origins in the Old English language and is derived from the place name "Sidingbourne," which means "dweller by the plentiful spring." It is believed to have emerged sometime around the 9th or 10th century in parts of what is now southern England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sidney is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears there as a surname, referring to individuals who hailed from the village of Sidingbourne.
Over time, the name Sidney transitioned from being primarily a surname to also being used as a given name. One of the earliest notable individuals to bear the first name Sidney was Sir Sidney Smith (1764-1840), a British naval officer who gained fame for his daring exploits during the Napoleonic Wars.
Another prominent figure in history with the name Sidney was Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586), an English poet, courtier, and soldier who was celebrated for his influential works, such as the pastoral romance "Arcadia" and the sonnet sequence "Astrophel and Stella."
In the realm of literature, Sidney Sheldon (1917-2007) was a prolific American writer who penned numerous bestselling novels, including "The Other Side of Midnight" and "Master of the Game." His works often explored themes of power, love, and revenge.
The name Sidney also has a connection to the world of sports. Sidney Crosby (born 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who has won numerous accolades, including three Stanley Cup championships and two Olympic gold medals.
Additionally, Sidney Poitier (1927-2022) was a pioneering African American actor who broke barriers in Hollywood and became the first Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the 1963 film "Lilies of the Field."
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Sidney over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Sidney in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Sidney, the clearest high point is 2021. The latest England and Wales figure is 224 births in 2024, compared with 319 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sidney by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Sidney was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #197 | 1,309 | 5 |
| 2010s | #236 | 2,217 | 10 |
| 2000s | #321 | 1,079 | 10 |
| 1990s | #427 | 196 | 4 |
Geography
Where Sidney is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Sidney. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Sidney ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #404 in 2024.
Across the UK
Sidney in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#727 in 2024
8 years of NRS records, 31 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#404 in 2024
1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered
Related
Names similar to Sidney
- Samuel 108,505
- Sebastian 33,008
- Sam 20,889
- Stanley 16,354
- Sonny 15,028
- Sean 15,006
- Scott 12,587
- Seth 9,841
- Syed 9,050
- Stephen 8,884
- Spencer 8,333
- Steven 6,970
FAQ
Sidney: questions and answers
How popular is the name Sidney in the UK right now?
In 2024, Sidney was ranked #220 for boys in England and Wales, with 224 births registered.
When was Sidney most popular?
The peak year on record was 2021, with 319 babies registered as Sidney in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Sidney?
A diminutive form of the Old English name Sidney meaning "wide meadow".
How many people are called Sidney in the UK?
A total of 4,801 babies have been registered as Sidney across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 31 more in Scotland and 3 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Sidney most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Sidney ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #404 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.