Sidney
Meaning of Sidney
Sidney—pronounced friendly SID-nee—began as an English surname meaning “wide island,” though a dash of Norman French lore ties it to Saint Denis as well, and it has been happily swapping sides of the gender aisle since the 17th century. Literary hearts hear the rustle of Sir Philip Sidney’s courtly sonnets, film buffs picture the dignified stride of Oscar-winner Sidney Poitier, and hockey fans may flash to Sidney Crosby carving graceful arcs across the ice. The built-in nickname “Sid” gives the name a jeans-and-sneakers swagger, while the full form feels crisp enough for letterpress stationery—a ready-made style change as a child grows. In America, Sidney has never vanished from the charts, hovering in steady, under-the-radar popularity (#833 last year), which means your little one will likely stand out without feeling alone at roll call. Warm, versatile, and quietly heroic, Sidney offers parents a wide-open island of possibility where a future poet, activist, or athlete can set sail.
Pronunciation
French
- Pronunced as see-DNEE (/si.dni/)
English
- Pronunced as SID-nee (/ˈsɪdni/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Sidney
| Sidney Crosby is a Canadian ice hockey legend and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, widely considered one of the greatest players of all time. |
| Sidney Poitier was a pioneering Bahamian-American actor who made history as the first black person to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. |
| Sidney Lumet was an acclaimed American film director known for his realistic New York dramas that explored social injustices and earned him numerous awards. |
| Sidney Bechet was a pioneering American jazz musician whose erratic temperament initially hindered his career, but he achieved widespread acclaim in the late 1940s and spent his later years in France. |
| Sidney Sheldon was an American writer who transitioned from Broadway and Oscar-winning films to creating hit TV shows and authoring best-selling novels. |
| Sidney Miller - Sidney L. Miller was an American actor, director, and songwriter with a long career in Hollywood films, radio, and television from the 1930s to the 1980s. |
| Sidney W. Pink was an American film producer celebrated as the father of feature-length 3-D movies, known for his early Spaghetti Westerns and low-budget sci-fi films, and for helping Dustin Hoffman transition to the big screen. |
| Sidney Goodman was an American figurative painter from Philadelphia who gained fame for his exploration of the human form and was featured in the 1973 Whitney Biennial. |
| Sidney Finkelstein was an American Marxist cultural critic who specialized in the history and societal role of popular music. |
| Sidney Fox was an American actress whose 1931 film debut in "Bad Sister" also launched Bette Davis's career. |
| Sidney Frank - American businessman and philanthropist Sidney E. Frank became a billionaire by promoting Grey Goose vodka and Jägermeister. |
| Sidney Outlaw is an American mixed martial artist who has competed in the Lightweight division since 2013, including in Bellator MMA and Titan FC. |
| Sidney Martin - Sidney Harris Cox Martin was a British physiological chemist, physician, and medical school professor. |
| Sidney Samson - Sidney V. Samson is a Dutch DJ and music producer renowned for his 2009 hit "Riverside." |
