Cidney
A feminine name derived from Sidney, of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 866 living Americans carry the first name Cidney. It is a predominantly female name (98.1% of registrations). The average person named Cidney today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cidney births was 1999 (58 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cidney. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
866
~ 1 in 395,790 Americans
Peak year
1999
58 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2007 SSA rank
#12,695
Tracked since 1949
Gender
Gender distribution for Cidney
Cidney leans heavily female at 98.1% of total registrations, but 17 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Cidney as a male name
- Ranked #12,695 in 2007
- 5 male births in 2007
- Peak: 1967 (7 births)
Cidney as a female name
- Ranked #16,399 in 2017
- 5 female births in 2017
- Peak: 1999 (58 births)
Popularity
Cidney: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cidney from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 364 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cidney by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cidney during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cidneys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Cidney, while Tennessee, Georgia, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cidney
The given name Cidney has its origins in the Old English language, tracing back to the 8th century AD. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word "cydde," meaning "famous" or "renowned." The name was initially used as a surname before eventually transitioning into a given name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cidney can be found in the Domesday Book, a famous historical record compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This document mentions a landowner named Cidney de Beaumont, indicating that the name was already in use during the Norman era.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Cidney maintained a presence, albeit relatively rare. Notable individuals bearing this name include Cidney of Anjou, a 12th-century noblewoman who played a significant role in the political affairs of the Angevin Empire.
In the 16th century, the name gained some popularity among the upper classes of English society. Cidney Devereux (1540-1619) was a prominent figure at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, serving as a lady-in-waiting and a close confidante of the monarch.
During the Renaissance period, the name Cidney was associated with literary and artistic circles. Cidney Jonson (1572-1637), a renowned English playwright and poet, was a contemporary of William Shakespeare and is best known for his satirical plays and masques.
In the realm of religion, Cidney Bunyan (1628-1688) was a notable English writer and Puritan preacher. His allegorical work, "The Pilgrim's Progress," is considered one of the most significant literary works in the English language.
Crossing into the 18th century, Cidney Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) was a pioneering English writer, philosopher, and advocate for women's rights. Her groundbreaking work, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman," is regarded as a foundational text of modern feminist philosophy.
While the name Cidney has maintained a presence throughout history, it has never achieved widespread popularity. However, its rich linguistic heritage and association with notable figures across various fields make it a unique and fascinating name with deep cultural roots.
People
Cidney + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cidney as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cidney: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cidney?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 866 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cidney going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 395,790 US residents.
Is Cidney a common name?
We classify Cidney as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 892 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cidney most popular?
The single biggest year for Cidney was 1999, when 58 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cidney is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cidney a female name?
Yes, 98.1% of people registered as Cidney in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.