Sidney (name origin)
Encyclopedia
Sidney or Sydney was originally an English surname. Theories of its origin are:
In (Norman) French, Saint Denis (from Latin Dionysius
) would be pronounced something like "S' Deni'", which in England became "Sidney" through folk etymology when the Plantagenet
s became English. The folk etymology process takes something new and relates it to something known. Thus the two origins could both exist with the current result. The Statue of St. Denis on Notre Dame Cathedral shows him holding his head in his hands, supported by angels, with a demon and axe below: St. Denis carried his severed head to the peak of Montmartre
.
Sidney became widely used as a given name in English speaking countries during the 19th century, with much of its use in the United States after the American Revolution being due to admiration for Algernon Sidney, a 17th century martyr to royal tyranny.
- As with many English surnames, from the name of a place where an ancestor came from: Anglo-Saxon [æt þǣre] sīdan īege = "[at the] wide island/watermeadow (in the dative caseDative caseThe dative case is a grammatical case generally used to indicate the noun to whom something is given, as in "George gave Jamie a drink"....
). - A contraction of the French place name Saint-DenisSaint-DenisSaint-Denis is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Saint-Denis is a sous-préfecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Denis....
, the patron saintPatron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of France, which was brought to England by the Normans. Hanks & Hodges point out that there is little evidence to support this derivation and it may be the result of folk etymology . Reaney & Wilson state that "The name is usually derived from St. Denis (Normandy) but proof is lacking".
In (Norman) French, Saint Denis (from Latin Dionysius
Dionysius
The Graeco-Roman name Dionysius, deriving from the name of the Thracian god Dionysus, was exceedingly common, and many ancient people, famous and otherwise, bore it. It remains a common name today in the form Dennis . The modern Greek form of the name is Dionysios or Dionysis. The Spanish form of...
) would be pronounced something like "S' Deni'", which in England became "Sidney" through folk etymology when the Plantagenet
House of Plantagenet
The House of Plantagenet , a branch of the Angevins, was a royal house founded by Geoffrey V of Anjou, father of Henry II of England. Plantagenet kings first ruled the Kingdom of England in the 12th century. Their paternal ancestors originated in the French province of Gâtinais and gained the...
s became English. The folk etymology process takes something new and relates it to something known. Thus the two origins could both exist with the current result. The Statue of St. Denis on Notre Dame Cathedral shows him holding his head in his hands, supported by angels, with a demon and axe below: St. Denis carried his severed head to the peak of Montmartre
Montmartre
Montmartre is a hill which is 130 metres high, giving its name to the surrounding district, in the north of Paris in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit and as a nightclub district...
.
Sidney became widely used as a given name in English speaking countries during the 19th century, with much of its use in the United States after the American Revolution being due to admiration for Algernon Sidney, a 17th century martyr to royal tyranny.