Do you like scary movies?

Today’s name comes to us from the Scream trilogy.  She’s the heroine who managed to outwit Ghostface not once, but three times:  Sidney.

Spelled Sydney, she’s currently a Top 50 pick for girls in the US.  After peaking at #23 from 1999 to 2001, she’s fallen a bit, but remains a popular choice.  Sydney fits with androgynous surname picks like Madison and Taylor, as well as borrowed-from-the-boys choices like Ashley.  And, of course, Alias’ Sydney Bristow redefined the spy game on ABC from 2001 to 2006, inspiring some parents.

Both spellings share two possible origins:

• The name could stem from the Old English elements sid – wide – and eg – island, or possibly meadow.  More than one place wore this name, so it’s a logical explanation. 
• A second place name explanation comes from France.  It might be a contracted form of Saint Denis, in Normandy.  While this one fits, and could easily be among the names brought to England by the Normans, the historical record suggests that the name was in use in England prior to the 1100s – strengthening the case for the Old English derivation.

Two famous Englishmen bore the surname – Sir Phillip Sidney, a courtier during the Elizabethan Age, and the 17th century Algernon Sidney, who was put to death for opposing King Charles II of England.  Both may have inspired some use of the name.  The second Sidney was especially popular in the US, where opposing royalty was quite popular for a time.

Sydney, Australia got its name from a third notable – Thomas Townshend, Viscount Sydney, who served as British Home Secretary during the 1780s, when the city was founded.

While Sidney was the more popular spelling until the 1950s, both Sidney and Sydney were steadily used.  And they were steadily used for both genders.  While masculine Sidneys outnumbered their female counterparts, this is one unusual case where the feminine use is not new in the late 20th century.

A few male bearers of the name include:

• Fictional Sydney Carton, from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities;
• Actor and director Sydney Pollack;
• Current Pittsburgh Penguins’ captain and ice hockey sensation Sidney Crosby;
• Oscar-winning director Sidney Lumet;
• Former NBA player Sidney Moncrief, nicknamed El Sid;
• Actor Sidney Poitier, the first African American to win the Oscar for Best Actor;
• Novelist Sidney Sheldon;
• Sid Wilson of Slipknot;
• Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols – though he was born John Simon Ritchie.

In fact, all of those male Sidneys and Sydneys make us rather regretful that this one likely won’t make a comeback for the boys – we love the idea of Sid on a small boy.  (But then, we’re fans of ice hockey and punk rock.)  Unlike Ashley, which has morphed into Ashton and Asher for boys, there doesn’t seem to be another logical way to arrive at Sid.

And so Sidney and Sydney are surrendered to the girls.  The spelling Sidney ranked #485 for girls – far behind the Sydney spelling.  While Sydney has not charted for boys in recent years, Sidney hangs on at a fairly obscure #840 and falling.

With heroines wearing the name on the small and silver screens alike, doubtless we’ll continue to meet small girls called Sydney and Sidney.  It’s far from the freshest choice out there, but it also has a bit more backstory and history of use than many other androgynous monikers considered by modern parents.  We’re not ready to call her a modern classic, but she’s not quite worn out, either.