Sidney (often shortened to Sid) 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".Wordsworth Dictionary of First Names, Iseabail MacLeod and Terry Freedman, Wordsworth Editions Ltd, 1995, p. 208

Sidney became widely used as a given name in English-speaking countries during the 19th century. It was popularised in the United States after the American Revolution due to admiration for the English politician Algernon Sidney as a martyr to royal tyranny;Karsten, Peter (1978) Patriot heroes in England and America: Political symbolism and changing values over three centuries University of Wisconsin Press, Madison since its peak in the 1910s its usage has declined steadily. Sidney was used as a woman's name in the 1700s and 1800s, such as Sidney Kennon, Sidney Griffith, and Sidney Browne (born 1850). From the early 1990s to the 2000s, the name Sidney was a fashionable name given to girls. Sydney is a spelling variant of the name used by men and women; other variants include Cydney and Cidney.

People Notable people with the given name include:

Sidney Abrahams (1885–1957), British long jumper Sydney Affolter (born 2003), American former basketball player Sidney Alford (1935–2021), English inventor and explosives engineer Sidney Barnard (1914–1999), English footballer Sidney Barthelemy (born 1942), American politician Sidney Bartlett (1799–1889), American lawyer and politician

Sidney Burr Beardsley (1823–1890), justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court

Sidney Beckerman (musician) (1919–2007), Klezmer clarinet player Sidney Beckerman (film producer) (1920–2008), American film producer

Sidney E. Berger (born 1944), American historian

Sidney Bryan Berry (1926–2013), US Army general officer

Dame Sidney Browne GBE, RRC (1850–1941), first Matron-in-Chief of the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service and founding President of the Royal College of Nursing Sidny Lopes Cabral (born 2003), Dutch footballer Sid Caesar (1922–2014), actor and comedian Sidney Carroll (1913–1988), American film and television scriptwriter Sidney Chu (born 1999), Hong Kong short track speed skater Sidney Robertson Cowell (1903–1995), American ethnomusicologist Sidnie White Crawford (born 1960), American professor of classics and religion Sidney Crosby (born 1987), Canadian ice hockey player Sidney H. Chang (1934–2016), Chinese-American historian, author, and academic Sidney Cooke (born 1927), serial killer and leader of the "Dirty Dozen" Sidney Dawson (1893–19??), English footballer Sidney Dearing (1870–1953), American businessperson Sidney Duteil (born 1955), French musician and television and radio host Sidney Easton (1885–1971), American actor, playwright and composer Sid Eudy, professional wrestler known as "Sycho" Sid Vicious/Justice Sidney Fox (1907–1942), American stage and film actress Sidny Feitosa dos Santos (born 1981), Brazilian footballer Sid Field (1904–1950), English comedy entertainer Sidney Robert Freshwater (1919–2019), Australian cycling administrator Sid Gepford (1895–1924), American football halfback Sid Gillman (1911–2003), American football player and coach Sidney Leslie Goodwin (1910–1912), English child who perished in the Titanic disaster Sidney Gordin (1918–1996), Russian-born American artist, professor Sid Gordon (1917–1975), American major league baseball All-Star player Sidney Govou (born 1979), French football player Sidney Griffith (died 1752), Welsh Methodist of the 18th century revival Sid Hadden (1877–1934), English cricketer Sidney Hauser, American saxophonist Sidney Hertzberg (1922–2005), American pro basketball player Sidney Mttron Hirsch (1884–1962), American model and playwright Sidney Holland (1893–1961), New Zealand Prime Minister Sidney Homer (1864–1953), American composer Sidney William Jackson (1873–1946), Australian ornithologist Sid James (1913–1976), South African-born English film and television actor Sidney Jones (American football) (born 1995), American football player Sidney Kennon (died 1754), British midwife Sidney Kibrick (1928–2026), American child actor Sidney Knott (1933–2020), South African cricketer Sidney Korshak (1907–1996), American lawyer and "fixer" for organized crime Sidney W. Lane (died 1906), American politician from Maryland Sidney Lanier (1842–1881), American musician, poet and author Sidney Lee (1859–1926), English biographer, writer and critic Sid Luckman (1916–1998), American NFL Hall of Fame football player Sidney Lumet (1924–2011), American film director Sidney Lyon (1884–19??), American lawyer and state legislator Sidney Magal (born 1953), Brazilian singer and actor Sidnie Manton (1902–1979), British zoologist Sidney McKnight (born 1955), Canadian boxer Sid Meier (born 1954), game developer, famous for his Civilization series Sidney Meyers (1906–1969), American film director Sidney Mobell (1926–2022), American artist, jeweler, and philanthropist Sidney Moncrief (born 1957), American basketball player Sidney Moraes (born 1977), Brazilian footballer Sidney Morin (born 1995), American ice hockey player Sidney Myer (1878–1934), Australian businessman and philanthropist Sidney Nolan (1917–1992), Australian artist Sidney Arnold Pakeman (1891–1975), British soldier, professor and politician Sidney Phillips (1924–2015), American soldier and physician Sidney Pike (1858–1923), British painter Sidney Poitier (1927–2022), American actor Sidney Ponson (born 1976), Aruban baseball pitcher Sidney Powell (born 1955), American attorney Sidney Pullen (1895– 1950), English football (soccer) player Sidney Armor Reeve (1866–1941), American author and professor Sidney Rittenberg (1921–2019), American journalist Sidney Sheldon (1917–2007), American writer and producer Sidney Smith (Assyriologist) (1889–1979), assyriologist Sidney Smith (Canada West politician) (1823–1889), Canadian politician

Sidney Smith (cricketer) (1929–1985), English cricketer Sidney Smith (Illinois judge) (1829–1898)

Sidney Smith (snooker player) (1908–1990), English billiards and snooker player Sidney C. Smith Jr., American cardiologist and Professor of Medicine

Sidney Irving Smith (1843–1926), American zoologist Sidney Lawton Smith (1845–1929), American designer, etcher, engraver, illustrator and bookplate artist Sidney Maynard Smith (1875–1928), British surgeon and freemason Sidney Oslin Smith Jr. (1923–2012), American judge

Sidney Smythe (1705–1778), English judge and politician Sidney Sonnino (1847–1922), Italian politician Sidney Souza (born 1972), Brazilian footballer Sidney Spencer (born 1985), American basketball player Sidney Tannenbaum (1925–1986), American basketball player Sid Terris (1904–1974), American lightweight boxer Sidney St. Felix Thaxter (1883–1958), justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court Sidney Topol (1924–2022), American innovator and entrepreneur Sidney Veysey (born 1955), Canadian ice hockey player Sidney W. Wernick (1913–1995), justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court Sidney Wicks (born 1949), American basketball player Sid Wilson (born 1977), American DJ, keyboardist and pianist

Fictional characters

Sidney Prescott, original protagonist in the Scream franchise Sidney (Ice Age), a ground sloth in the Ice Age film series Sid Jenkins (Sidney Jenkins), a character in the British teen drama Skins

See also

Sydney (name)

References