Sidney (surname)

Sidney or Sydney is an English surname. It is probably derived from an Anglo-Saxon locational name, [æt þǣre] sīdan īege, "[at the] wide island/watermeadow" (in the dative case).[1] There is also a folk etymological derivation from the French place name Saint Denis.[2]

The name has also been used as a given name since the 19th century.

  1. ^ Reaney, P.H. & Wilson, R.M. (1997) A dictionary of English surnames, revised edition Oxford University Press, New York, ISBN 0-19-860092-5
  2. ^ Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. (1988). A dictionary of surnames. Oxford University Press, New York, ISBN 0-19-211592-8. "The name is usually derived from St. Denis but proof is lacking". Reaney, P.H. & Wilson, R.M. (1997)