Sidney (surname) - Given Name

Given Name

Sidney became widely used as a given name in English speaking countries during the 19th century, with much of its use in the United States after the American Revolution being due to admiration for Algernon Sidney as a martyr to royal tyranny. People with this given name born in the United States during the 19th century include Sidney Lanier (1842–1881) and Sidney Homer (1864–1953). Use as a male given name in the United States peaked in the 1910s and has declined steadily since. There has been a recent fashion since the early 1990s of giving the name Sidney to girls. This trend has peaked in the late 1990s and has declined during the 2000s.