NameCensus.

UK surname

Sidney

Derived from a place name meaning "wide island" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 587 people recorded with the Sidney surname, ranking it #5,943 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 637, ranked #8,304, down from #5,943 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Philip and Jacob. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sunderland, Stockton-on-Tees and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sidney is 879 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 8.5%.

1881 census count

587

Ranked #5,943

Modern count

637

2016, ranked #8,304

Peak year

1911

879 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sidney had 587 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,943 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 637 in 2016, ranked #8,304.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 879 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Sidney surname distribution map

The map shows where the Sidney surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Sidney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sidney over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 492 #5,084
1861 historical 538 #4,878
1881 historical 587 #5,943
1891 historical 640 #6,055
1901 historical 710 #6,211
1911 historical 879 #5,063
1997 modern 651 #7,650
1998 modern 680 #7,648
1999 modern 656 #7,893
2000 modern 640 #8,031
2001 modern 625 #8,028
2002 modern 637 #8,090
2003 modern 622 #8,099
2004 modern 630 #8,028
2005 modern 611 #8,162
2006 modern 602 #8,269
2007 modern 595 #8,407
2008 modern 588 #8,548
2009 modern 610 #8,488
2010 modern 619 #8,580
2011 modern 616 #8,511
2012 modern 616 #8,423
2013 modern 630 #8,421
2014 modern 627 #8,500
2015 modern 623 #8,473
2016 modern 637 #8,304

Geography

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Where Sidneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Philip and Jacob and Earsdon. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sunderland, Stockton-on-Tees, Northumberland and Wakefield. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Philip and Jacob Gloucestershire
5 Earsdon Northumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sunderland 021 Sunderland
2 Sunderland 008 Sunderland
3 Stockton-on-Tees 001 Stockton-on-Tees
4 Northumberland 029 Northumberland
5 Wakefield 027 Wakefield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sidney

These lists show first names that appear often with the Sidney surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sidney

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Sidney, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Sidney surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Sidney household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Sidney is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Sidney is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sidney falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Sidney is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Sidney, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Sidney

The surname Sidney has its origins in England and France, dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "sid," meaning wide or large, and "ey," meaning an island or watery place. The earliest known spelling of the name was "Sidnei," which referred to a large island or marshy area in what is now the county of Sussex in southern England.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are entries for individuals with the surname Sidney or similar spellings, such as Sidenai and Sidnay. These early references suggest that the name was already well-established in certain regions of England by the late 11th century.

The first recorded use of the surname Sidney can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex from 1195, where a landowner named Robert de Sidnei is listed. This indicates that the name had become a hereditary surname by the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the Sidney family established themselves as prominent landowners in the county of Sussex, with their ancestral seat located at the manor of Baynards near the village of Sidlesham. One notable member of the family was Sir William Sidney (c. 1280-1336), who served as a member of parliament and fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence under Edward I.

During the Tudor period, the Sidney family rose to greater prominence, with Sir Henry Sidney (1529-1586) serving as Lord Deputy of Ireland and his son, Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586), becoming a renowned poet and soldier. Philip Sidney's works, such as the prose romance "Arcadia" and the sonnet sequence "Astrophil and Stella," have secured his place as one of the most influential writers of the English Renaissance.

Other notable individuals with the surname Sidney include Algernon Sidney (1623-1683), a prominent political theorist and republican who was executed for his opposition to the monarchy, and Mary Sidney Herbert (1561-1621), a poet and translator who was also the Countess of Pembroke.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sidney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sidney surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Durham leads with 87 Sidneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.09x.

County Total Index
Durham 87 5.09x
Middlesex 83 1.44x
Yorkshire 48 0.84x
Surrey 44 1.57x
Gloucestershire 34 3.02x
Norfolk 33 3.74x
Northumberland 30 3.51x
Kent 25 1.28x
Lincolnshire 25 2.72x
Warwickshire 23 1.59x
Staffordshire 21 1.08x
Suffolk 21 3.00x
Somerset 18 1.95x
Lancashire 14 0.21x
Dorset 11 2.92x
Essex 11 0.97x
Cheshire 9 0.71x
Cambridgeshire 7 1.92x
Nottinghamshire 7 0.90x
Devon 6 0.50x
Rutland 6 14.22x
Cornwall 5 0.77x
Sussex 5 0.52x
Berkshire 2 0.46x
Channel Islands 2 1.17x
Monmouthshire 2 0.48x
Oxfordshire 2 0.56x
Pembrokeshire 2 1.10x
Shropshire 2 0.40x
Argyllshire 1 0.63x
Banffshire 1 0.84x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.41x
Midlothian 1 0.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bishopwearmouth in Durham leads with 24 Sidneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.36x.

Place Total Index
Bishopwearmouth 24 16.36x
Bedminster 18 20.71x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 17 16.02x
Monkwearmouth 17 103.91x
Doncaster 13 31.25x
Aston 12 3.01x
Newcastle On Tyne St 12 27.08x
Fordington 11 135.47x
Islington London 11 1.98x
Birmingham 10 2.07x
Camberwell 10 2.72x
St Botolph Lincoln 10 151.52x
Stranton 10 17.38x
Fakenham 9 206.90x
Gillingham 9 22.27x
Ryton Woodside 9 422.54x
Sunderland 9 29.81x
Bushbury 8 229.89x
Chatham 8 14.83x
Chester St John Baptist 8 35.09x
Edmonton 8 17.28x
Heigham 8 16.87x
Monkwearmouth Shore 8 23.97x
Newington 8 3.77x
Spittlegate 8 62.94x
Bristol St George 7 13.43x
Hackney London 7 2.17x
Seaton Delaval 7 93.21x
Wednesbury 7 14.44x
Bromley London 6 4.75x
Clapham 6 8.35x
Gateshead 6 4.69x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 6 11.75x
Richmond 6 15.29x
St Andrewthe Less 6 14.43x
St George In East 6 15.35x
Bermondsey 5 2.92x
Clerkenwell London 5 3.69x
Elmsett 5 588.24x
Hatfield In Thorne 5 140.85x
Hornsey 5 6.88x
Ipswich St Peter 5 53.08x
Lambeth 5 1.00x
Leeds 5 1.56x
Lyndon 5 2500.00x
St Martin In Fields 5 14.53x
St Pancras London 5 1.08x
Wakefield 5 11.44x
Wolverhampton 5 3.35x
Asgarby 4 952.38x
Beeston 4 69.44x
Blakeney 4 253.16x
Cowpen 4 20.33x
Polstead 4 245.40x
Stoke Damerel 4 4.78x
Whitechapel London 4 7.06x
Barnham 3 333.33x
Bristol St Paul In 3 9.99x
Churwell 3 77.32x
Fakenham Alethorpe 3 275.23x
Formby 3 38.86x
Goole 3 31.45x
Hove 3 7.06x
Marlingford 3 652.17x
Menheniot 3 111.11x
North Bierley 3 9.76x
Nottingham St Mary 3 1.50x
Nottingham St Nicholas 3 28.44x
Prittlewell 3 19.08x
Putney 3 11.45x
St Giles In Fields 3 15.14x
Tonbridge 3 4.24x
Woolpit 3 147.78x
Bradford 2 1.45x
Costessey 2 105.26x
Gravesend 2 12.05x
Hubberston 2 74.63x
Liverpool 2 0.48x
Sheringham 2 87.72x
St Peter Port 2 6.35x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Sidney surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Sidney surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 30
John 28
Charles 17
Thomas 17
George 16
James 15
Joseph 12
Henry 11
Edward 10
Arthur 8
Robert 8
Frederick 7
Albert 6
Samuel 6
Alfred 5
Harry 4
Herbert 4
Ralph 4
Benjamin 3
Ernest 3
Paul 3
Algernon 2
David 2
Edwin 2
Frank 2
Horace 2
Lawrence 2
Marlow 2
Matthew 2
Michael 2
Philip 2
Simon 2
Walter 2
Wm. 2
Anthony 1
Chas.Edwd. 1
Chas.Wm. 1
Chester 1
Edgar 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Fred.G. 1
Geo. 1
Geo.Hy. 1
Jacob 1
Jas. 1
Josiah 1
Majer 1
Mark 1
Melville 1

FAQ

Sidney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sidney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 587 people were recorded with the Sidney surname. That placed it at #5,943 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sidney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 637 in 2016. That gives Sidney a modern rank of #8,304.

What does the Sidney surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "wide island" in Old English.

What does the Sidney map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Sidney bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.