Sidney is a distinctive choice, ranked #203 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Sidney in their class.
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UK Rank 2025
#203
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About the Name Sidney
Sidney is climbing rapidly up the charts, having climbed 718 places in just five years. Its best recorded rank was #906 in 2023 — and current momentum suggests it could challenge that mark again. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Sidney is fairly common in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Sidney in their class.
⭐ Famous People Named Sidney
Barima Sidney — Sidney Kofi Ofori is a Ghanaian hiplife recording artist and entrepreneur known by the stage name Barima Sidney.
Sidney Howard — Sidney Coe Howard was an American playwright, dramatist and screenwriter.
Sidney Peel — Colonel Sir Sidney Cornwallis Peel, 1st Baronet,, was a British Army officer, barrister and financier.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Sidney
Unlikely. With around 247 UK babies named Sidney per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Sidney in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Sidney has been fairly steady, ranked #203 in 2025 against #201 in 2020. Its best recorded position was #168 in 2021.
Sidney is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.
Notable people named Sidney include: Barima Sidney, Sidney Tarrow and Sidney Crosby. Short summaries for each appear below.
Sidney does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Sidneys in the wild.
247
UK babies named Sidney (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.5
In a school of 600
→ Stable
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Sidney
Almost certainly the only Sidney in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Sidney
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Sidney George Tarrow is an American emeritus professor of political science, known for his research in the areas of comparative politics, social movements, political parties, collective action and political sociology.
Michael Sidney Luft was an American producer and businessman, the second husband of actress Lynn Bari, and later the third husband of actress and singer Judy Garland.
Sidney Patrick Crosby is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a centre and captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL).