How Many People Are Named Sydney?
An estimated 175,906 people in the United States have the first name Sydney. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #311 overall. It is predominantly female (95.0%). The average bearer is 24 years old, and Sydney peaked in popularity in 2000 with 10,369 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Sydney as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Sydney paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Sydney has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
Estimated Living Americans
175,906
About 1 in 1,949 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
95.0% confidence
Average Age
24
years old
Peak Year
2000
10,369 births
Total Registered
186,796
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Sydney
Sydney is predominantly female (95.0%), though 9,383 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Sydney as a male name
Ranked #4,292 in 2024
25 male births in 2024
Peak: 1916 (205 births)
Sydney as a female name
Ranked #288 in 2024
1,097 female births in 2024
Peak: 2000 (10,243 births)
Sydney in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 169,164 people with the first name Sydney, which placed it at #328 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Sydney was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 169,164 people with this name in that snapshot, 3.3% were male and 96.7% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 95.0% of the time.
Census Count
169,164
people with this name
Census Rank
#328
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
56.01
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Sydney was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (74.53%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (9.58%) and Hispanic (6.49%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Sydney in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Sydney.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 74.53% | 126,081 |
| Black | 9.58% | 16,206 |
| Hispanic | 6.49% | 10,981 |
| Two or More Races | 6.05% | 10,230 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 2.83% | 4,787 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.52% | 880 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Sydney: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Sydney span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2000s, when 77,286 babies were registered. Sydney has declined significantly from its peak in the 2000s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Sydney by Decade
How has Sydney tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 151 | 137 | 14 | |
| 1890s | 184 | 161 | 23 | |
| 1900s | 299 | 215 | 84 | |
| 1910s | 1,706 | 1,441 | 265 | |
| 1920s | 1,615 | 1,309 | 306 | |
| 1930s | 1,625 | 827 | 798 | |
| 1940s | 2,327 | 815 | 1,512 | |
| 1950s | 2,153 | 631 | 1,522 | |
| 1960s | 1,851 | 504 | 1,347 | |
| 1970s | 1,287 | 356 | 931 | |
| 1980s | 5,044 | 457 | 4,587 | |
| 1990s | 56,774 | 1,018 | 55,756 | |
| 2000s | 77,286 | 844 | 76,442 | |
| 2010s | 28,587 | 506 | 28,081 | |
| 2020s | 5,907 | 162 | 5,745 | |
Sydney by State
Birth registrations for Sydney span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, New York. The lowest are in Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska. On average, about 3,473 Sydneys were registered per state.
Sydney + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Sydney as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Sydney
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
Sydney: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sydney?
We estimate approximately 175,906 people named Sydney are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,949 Americans share this first name.
Is Sydney a common name?
Sydney is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.7% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 186,796 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Sydney most popular?
Sydney reached peak popularity in 2000, when 10,369 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Sydney is approximately 24 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Sydney in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 169,164 people with the first name Sydney. That placed it at #328 in the published Census first-name tables, or 56.01 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Sydney was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Sydney?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Sydney was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 3.3% male and 96.7% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Sydney?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Sydney was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (74.53%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (9.58%) and Hispanic (6.49%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Sydney a female name?
Sydney is predominantly female. 95.0% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Sydney have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Sydney peaked in 2000, and the average living bearer is about 24 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Sydney Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Sydney Smith, Sydney Johnson, Sydney Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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