How Many People Are Named Sidney?
Complete statistics for the name Sidney: rarity score, gender breakdown, age distribution, historical popularity, worldwide data, meaning and origin.
Sidney is a classic, old-school name with English roots, likely derived from a place name meaning 'wide island' or tied to the French town of Saint-Denis. About 55,754 people named Sidney are alive in the US today, and with 1 in 5,919 Americans carrying it, it's genuinely rare. The striking part? The average Sidney you'd meet is 71 years old.
📖 Meaning & Origin
Life path number 4 is traditionally linked to stability, hard work, and building solid foundations. People associated with 4 are seen as practical and reliable, the kind who get things done through discipline rather than luck.
🌍 Worldwide Usage
⚥ Gender Distribution
📊 Births by Age Group
Avg Cohort Age: 71All 108,578 recorded US births for this name, grouped by the age those individuals would be today. Not adjusted for survival, so the number living today is lower (see the living estimate above).
📈 Popularity Over Time
Peak: 1918Annual US births from SSA records · Trend: Declining
🏆 Name Scorecard
Scores 0–100 based on statistical analysis of US and worldwide name frequency
📜 Sidney Through the Generations
Sidney tells a very clear generational story. It peaked way back in 1918 with 1,939 births in a single year, and it's been on a long, steady decline ever since. Of the 55,754 Sidneys alive today, a full 64% are over 60, which means this name belongs almost entirely to an older generation. Only 21,967 are under 30, compared to 69,520 over 60, so young Sidneys are genuinely rare to come across. The gap between all-time births of 108,578 and the living count of 55,754 makes sense given how old the average bearer is, since many who carried the name in its heyday have already passed. It skews predominantly male, though it has seen some crossover use. There's no real comeback story here, just a dignified old name quietly aging with the people who were given it decades ago.
📍 State Distribution (Top 10)
⭐ Famous People Named Sidney
Sidney is an English given name derived from the surname, which itself has two different derivations depending on the origins of the family: in some cases a place name, itself from Old English, meaning "wide water meadow", and in others from the French place name "St. Denis".…
Full list on Wikipedia →🌿 Related Names by Origin
Other names sharing Sidney's English roots
📄 About the Name Sidney
How Many People Have the Name Sidney?
Based on Social Security Administration birth records and age-adjusted survival modeling, approximately 2,043 people in the United States currently share the name Sidney. That works out to roughly 1 in every 162,237 Americans, placing it in the Very Rare category.
Is Sidney a Common or Rare Name?
Sidney is classified as Very Rare. The rarity scale runs from Very Common (shared by millions) through Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Very Rare. Understanding where a name sits helps parents gauge uniqueness, genealogists narrow down records, and individuals settle debates about their own name's distinctiveness.
What Does the Name Sidney Mean?
Sidney means "Wide island or Saint-Denis" and comes from English origins. The name carries a life-path numerology number of 4.
Gender Breakdown
Of all recorded bearers of Sidney in SSA data, approximately 61% are male and 39% are female.
When Was Sidney Most Popular?
The name Sidney reached peak popularity in 1918, with 1,939 babies registered that year. Current trend: Declining.
How Is This Data Calculated?
All figures are statistical estimates, not exact government headcounts. The underlying data comes from the SSA National Baby Names dataset. Full methodology is explained on the methodology page.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How many people are named Sidney?
Approximately 2,043 people named Sidney live in the United States today. All-time US births on record total 2,043. That works out to roughly 1 in 162,237 Americans.
Is Sidney a rare name?
Sidney is classified as Very Rare in the United States. Approximately 1 in every 162,237 Americans has this name.
What does the name Sidney mean?
Sidney means "Wide island or Saint-Denis" and comes from English origins.
Is Sidney more male or female?
Based on SSA records, 61% of people named Sidney are male and 39% are female.
When was Sidney most popular?
Sidney peaked in 1918 with 1,939 births that year. Current trend: Declining.
How accurate are these statistics?
All figures are statistical estimates based on SSA birth records and age-adjusted modeling. See the methodology page for full details.