| Pronunciation | /ˈsidni/ |
|---|---|
| Gender | Unisex |
| Language | English |
| Origin | |
| Language | Old English |
| Word/name | Sidney (surname) |
| Meaning | "wide water meadow" |
| Region of origin | England |
| Other names | |
| Variant forms | |
| Short form | Sid |
| Related names | Sidy |
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".
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; 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.
