Find out how popular the last name Sidney is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sidney.

Sidney, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sidney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sidney in America

Sidney is the 13578th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sidney surname appeared 2,233 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Sidney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sidney to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sidney

The surname Sidney has its origins in England and France, dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "sid," meaning wide or large, and "ey," meaning an island or watery place. The earliest known spelling of the name was "Sidnei," which referred to a large island or marshy area in what is now the county of Sussex in southern England.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are entries for individuals with the surname Sidney or similar spellings, such as Sidenai and Sidnay. These early references suggest that the name was already well-established in certain regions of England by the late 11th century.

The first recorded use of the surname Sidney can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex from 1195, where a landowner named Robert de Sidnei is listed. This indicates that the name had become a hereditary surname by the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the Sidney family established themselves as prominent landowners in the county of Sussex, with their ancestral seat located at the manor of Baynards near the village of Sidlesham. One notable member of the family was Sir William Sidney (c. 1280-1336), who served as a member of parliament and fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence under Edward I.

During the Tudor period, the Sidney family rose to greater prominence, with Sir Henry Sidney (1529-1586) serving as Lord Deputy of Ireland and his son, Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586), becoming a renowned poet and soldier. Philip Sidney's works, such as the prose romance "Arcadia" and the sonnet sequence "Astrophil and Stella," have secured his place as one of the most influential writers of the English Renaissance.

Other notable individuals with the surname Sidney include Algernon Sidney (1623-1683), a prominent political theorist and republican who was executed for his opposition to the monarchy, and Mary Sidney Herbert (1561-1621), a poet and translator who was also the Countess of Pembroke.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sidney

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sidney.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sidney was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sidney has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sidney was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sidney, please contact us.

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