Sydney is a unisex given name of English origin, meaning "wide island." It was originally used as a surname for people from Sydney, Australia, but has since become popular as a given name for both boys and girls.
The city of Sydney, Australia, which lends its name to the given name Sydney, was founded in 1788 by Governor Arthur Phillip. He named the city after Thomas Townshend, Viscount Sydney, who was the British Home Secretary at the time and had approved the proposal for a new colony in Australia.
The name Sydney has gained popularity as a given name in recent years. In the United States, it ranked within the top 1000 names for both boys and girls in the early 2000s, but its popularity has since declined slightly. Despite this, Sydney remains a popular choice among parents looking for a unique and meaningful name for their child.
Overall, the name Sydney is of English origin and means "wide island." It was originally used as a surname but has since become popular as a given name for both boys and girls. The name's popularity can be attributed to its association with the city of Sydney, Australia, which was named after Thomas Townshend, Viscount Sydney.
The name Sydney has seen a significant rise in popularity over the past century and a half, with a notable increase occurring around the late 1980s to early 1990s. Between 1886 and 1924, the number of births named Sydney remained relatively low, ranging from 5 to 44 per year. However, beginning in 1932 with 72 births, there was a steady climb in popularity, reaching 2028 births in 1990.
The peak in popularity for the name Sydney occurred in 1994 with an impressive total of 4737 births. This trend continued until 2000, where it reached its zenith with 10243 births. Since then, there has been a gradual decline in the number of newborns named Sydney, dropping to 1001 births in 2023.
Overall, between 1886 and 2023, there were a total of 176305 births registered as Sydney.