Sydney is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Sydney means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Sydney across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Sydney has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Sydney is a girl name of Old English origin meaning “wide meadow”. originally a surname; also the Australian city.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 187,700 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 5,014 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 128 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 6 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 43 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Sydney per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2000 (10,369/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2003 (243/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2025 (12/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2018 (9/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2007 (3/yr).
Sydney has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 2000, when it ranked #61 nationally (given to 10,583 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2000s.
Sidney · Sydnee · Sydni · Stoney · Sydnie · Stone · Cydney · Sydna
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