The name bible for name enthusiasts, Nameberry, deems the name πSydney, an "original old man name" (akin to the name πMonroe) adopted for girls (from πSidney), that has been having somewhat of a revival.
Thanks to in vogue model Sydney Sweeney (recently crowned 'The Most Wanted Woman In America'), the name Sydney is definitely not viewed in that light now. "Cool girl actress Sydney Sweeney, of Euphoria and White Lotus, is doing a lot to burnish Sydney's image," Nameberry praises.
The name Sydney is of French origin meaning, "Saint Denis." Behind the Name explains further on Sydney: "From a surname that was a variant of the surname Sidney. This is the name of the largest city in Australia, which was named for Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney in 1788. Formerly used by both genders, since the 1980s this spelling of the name has been mostly feminine."
Sydney is #288 on the Most Popular Baby Names list for girls in 2024. "Sydney's popularity may be down but she's not out," Nameberry assures, where as "Sydney was a hot girls' name in the 1990s." California is where the most girls and women name Sydney reside.
I have a love/"hate" relationship with the name Sydney I admit. π€·πΎ♀️ I like the name Sydney because it originates from the name πSidney, which is personal to me — being it is my maternal grandfather's (RIP) first name (literally an "old man's name" π―). Here is where it gets tricky: my own name (I surprisingly was not named after my maternal grandfather) begins with Sid (so that is what people see/read first) but it is π’not pronounced "Sid" as is Sidney. Yet everyone assumes it is pronounced like Sidney which is wrong and which has irked me most of my life (until very recently actually as I embraced using the stage name Sid). π« An ex once suggested I name our future son Sidney had we had one together, and I didn't want to tell him I was against the name! π
πΎ♀️ Now actually, I would consider the idea ...
With Sydney being spelled as is, it can be 'hard' and confusing. π€ I immediately think Sidney still and so I start writing it S-i-d usually out of habit. π€¦πΏ♀️ When I see Sydney I also think of the sweeter πSyndee (alternative spelling of the name πCindy). I do however, like how Sydney looks rather if it were spelled as its origin name Sidney (it doesn't bother me if πSidney is used for a girl but on the flipside I do not like when πSydney is used for a boy π¬) — the S-y-d gives it a more feminine, plus edgy look. ππΎ
Will πSydney become the epitome of a π "cool girl's name" in the 2020s? Quite possibly. Nameberry swears, "she's arguably still cool." I definitely think it will start to rise further up ⬆ on the baby name charts π in popularity with Sydney Sweeney being so sought-after.
⭐FAMOUS & πNOTEWORTHY πSYDNEYS:
πSydney Chandler π₯ (actress)
πSydney Kamlager-Dove (politican)
ππReddit πnamenerdsπ€ Community Thread: "Sydney and Sidney for a girl?"
https://www.reddit.com/r/
ππNameberryπ Forum: "Sydney"
πSTATS ON THE NAME πSydney:
https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/S/SY/SYDNEY/index.html
☔πIRN RATING OF πSydney: π OR ππππππ/10