Sidney (given name)

Sidney
Pronunciation/ˈsidni/
GenderUnisex
LanguageEnglish
Origin
LanguageOld English
Word/nameSidney (surname)
Meaning"wide water meadow"
Region of originEngland
Other names
Variant forms
Short formSid
Related namesSidy
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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".[1]

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;[2] 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:

Fictional characters

See also

Search for "Sidney" on Wikipedia.

References

  1. ↑ Wordsworth Dictionary of First Names, Iseabail MacLeod and Terry Freedman, Wordsworth Editions Ltd, 1995, p. 208
  2. ↑ Karsten, Peter (1978) Patriot heroes in England and America: Political symbolism and changing values over three centuries University of Wisconsin Press, Madison ISBN 0-299-07500-1
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