Contents [hide]

Sidney History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Sidney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the Sidney family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in St Denis, Normandy. 1 One noted author agrees with this generally accepted premise, but he points out that "proof is lacking. The only evidence noted is: Roger de Sancto Dionisio 1212 Fees for Norfolk." He feels that the name more likely originated at Sidney Farm, in Alfold, Surrey and meant "dweller by the wide well-watered land." 2

Early Origins of the Sidney family

The surname Sidney was first found in Kent where they settled in Lewes Priory in 1188, coming from Anjou in Normandy. The founder of this family in England was Sir William Sydney, Chamberlain of King Henry II., who came from Anjou with that monarch, and was buried at Lewes Priory, East Sussex in 1188. 3 In Surrey, we also found John ate Sydenye in the Subsidy Rolls for 1332 and in Sussex, William Sydny was recorded in 1428. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Richard de Sanct' Deonise, Norfolk; and Robert de Sanct' Deonisio, Devon. 4

Early History of the Sidney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sidney research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1515, 1529, 1534, 1554, 1563, 1580, 1586, 1595, 1598, 1619, 1623, 1626, 1641, 1649, 1659, 1676, 1677, 1680, 1681, 1682, 1683, 1698, 1702, 1704, 1705, 1729, 1737 and 1743 are included under the topic Early Sidney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sidney Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Sidney were recorded, including Sidney, Sydney and others.

Early Notables of the Sidney family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir Henry Sidney (1529-1586), Lord Deputy of Ireland
his son Robert Sidney (1563-1626), 1st Earl of Leicester, progenitor of the Earls of Leicester
Dorothy Sidney (ca.1598-1659), Countess of Leicester, the eldest daughter of Henry Percy
Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester (1595-1677), an English diplomat and politician
Philip Sidney, 3rd Earl of Leicester (1619-1698), an English politician
Algernon Sidney (Sydney) (1623-1683), an English politician, opponent of King Charles II of England, charged with plotting against the King and was executed for treason
Henry Sydney (or Sidney), 1st Earl of Romney (1641-1704)
Robert Sidney, 4th Earl of Leicester (1649-1702)
Philip Sidney, 5th Earl of Leicester (1676-1705)
John Sidney, 6th Earl of Leicester (1680-1737)
Hon. Thomas Sidney (1681 - 27 January 1729)

Sidney Ranking

In the United States, the name Sidney is the 10,979^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Sidney migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Sidney arrived in North America very early:

Sidney Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Sidney who settled in Virginia in 1643
Eliza Sidney, who arrived in Virginia in 1643 6
Robert Sidney, who landed in Virginia in 1650 6
Eliz Sidney, who landed in Virginia in 1655 6
William Sidney, who landed in Virginia in 1658 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sidney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Francis Sidney, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 6

Sidney migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Sidney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Maria Sidney, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Diana" on 4th December 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. George Sidney, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8

Sidney migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Sidney Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Sidney, aged 25, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Steinwarder" in 1864

Sidney migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 9

Sidney Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

William Sidney, his wife, 5 children and servants, settled in Barbados in 1680

Contemporary Notables of the name Sidney (post 1700) +

Sylvia Sidney (1910-1999), American actress
George Sidney (1916-2002), American film director and film producer
Wallace H. Sidney, American Democratic Party politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Schoharie County, 1922 10
Iolanthe Sidney, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1956 10
Philip Sidney (1800-1851), 1st Baron De L'Isle and Dudley, British Tory politician
Philip Sidney (b. 1945), 2nd Viscount De L'Isle, British peer and former soldier
Major William Philip Sidney (1909-1991), British soldier awarded the Victoria Cross during WWII 11
John Sidney McCain III (1936-2018), United States Navy pilot during the Vietnam War, and U.S. Senator, Republican Party 2008 presidential candidate
George Sidney Lindeman, British sub-lieutenant aboard the Royal Navy vessel HMS Virago, eponym of Lindeman Island group in the Whitsunday Islands off the coast of Queensland, Australia
Lawrence Sidney Mithen (1934-2022), Australian rules footballer who played for Melbourne in the VFL (1954-1962), inducted into the Melbourne Hall of Fame

The Sidney Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Quo fata vocant
Motto Translation: Wherever fate may summon me.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Diana
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 30) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
World War 2 Awards.com - SIDNEY, William. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) William Sidney. Retrieved from http://www.ww2awards.com/person/153