Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Sydney?
Births per year, rank history and how many Sydneys are alive today.
Sydney (male) is a rare spelling of the boys' name Sidney in England and Wales, ranked 1276th in 2025 and given to 22 babies. This spelling of the name peaked in 1904, when around 3,700 babies were given the name, the 36th most popular that year. It has declined since 1904; the 2025 figure is roughly 1% of its peak. At least 77,000 babies have been named Sydney in England and Wales since 1904. Figures before 1996 are estimates. Common short forms of Sydney include Sid.
Across all spellings of the name, the Sidney you are most likely to meet is around 5 years old - or else around 71: the name has two living generations. Half of all Sidneys born in England and Wales are between 18 and 77, and there are at least 17,000 of them alive today. If you walk into a room of 100 males, there's roughly a 5.5% chance that at least one of them will be called Sidney.
How many babies are named Sydney each year?
Includes all spellings: Sydney, Sidney. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does the Sydney spelling rank?
Where does the Sidney spelling rank?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
When was the name Sydney most popular?
The most popular form of the name, Sidney, peaked in 1904, when around 5,400 babies in England and Wales were given the name. The Sydney spelling itself peaked in 1904, with around 3,700 babies.
How many people are called Sydney?
At least 17,000 people named Sydney in any spelling born in England and Wales are alive today.
How old is the typical Sydney?
Most living Sydneys are between 18 and 77; the most common age is about 5. There is a second cluster around 71.
Is Sydney becoming more or less popular?
Rising: numbers have been climbing in recent years.