Thursday, August 7, 2025

Sydney isn't an old man's name anymore thanks to Sydney Sweeney

The name bible for name enthusiasts, Nameberry, deems the name πŸ“›Sydney, an "original old man name" (akin to the name πŸ“›Monroe) adopted for girls (from πŸ“›Sidney), 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 SidneyThis 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. πŸ€·πŸΎ‍♀️ I like the name Sydney because it originates from the name πŸ“›Sidney, which is personal to me — being it is my maternal grandfather's (RIP) first name (literally an "old man's name" 😯). 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 πŸ“’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). πŸ˜« 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! πŸ™…πŸΎ‍♀️ Now actually, I would consider the idea πŸ’‘...  

With Sydney being spelled as is, it can be 'hard' and confusing. πŸ€” I immediately think Sidney still and so I start writing it S-i-d usually out of habit. πŸ€¦πŸΏ‍♀️ When I see Sydney I also think of the sweeter πŸ“›Syndee (alternative spelling of the name πŸ“›Cindy). I do however, like how Sydney looks rather if it were spelled as its origin name Sidney (it doesn't bother me if πŸ“›Sidney is used for a girl but on the flipside I do not like when πŸ“›Sydney is used for a boy πŸ˜¬— the S-y-d gives it a more feminine, plus edgy look. πŸ‘ŒπŸΎ  

Will πŸ“›Sydney  become the epitome of a πŸ˜Ž "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 πŸ“ˆ in popularity with Sydney Sweeney being so sought-after. 


FAMOUS πŸ“NOTEWORTHY πŸ“›SYDNEYS:

πŸ“›Sydney Chandler πŸŽ₯ (actress)

πŸ“›Sydney Kamlager-Dove πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ (politican)


πŸ“ŒπŸ‘€Reddit πŸ“›namenerdsπŸ€“ Community Thread: "Sydney and Sidney for a girl?"

https://www.reddit.com/r/namenerds/comments/ur299r/sydney_and_sidney_for_a_girl/

πŸ“ŒπŸ“›NameberryπŸ’ Forum: "Sydney"



πŸ“ŒSTATS ON THE NAME πŸ“›Sydney:

https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/S/SY/SYDNEY/index.html


πŸ“›IRN RATING OF πŸ“›Sydney: πŸ‘ OR πŸ’“πŸ’“πŸ’“πŸ’“πŸ’“πŸ’“/10  


NAME OF THE DAY: Betty

Today is cartoon icon  Betty Boop 's 95th birthday πŸŽ‰  — so  I will talk about her name that is as classic and cute as her:  πŸ“› Betty ❗ ...