Has the tradtional boy's name Sidney been ruined by the US trend to use it on girls?

[artichokes]

This is a slightly premature thread as I have only just found out I am pregnant. But if this is a boy then I would love to call him Sidney after two of my great-grandfathers. One was Sidney known as Sid, and the other Sidney known as Sonny.

I love Sidney known as Sonny (although am trying to find out if that is a traditional diminuitive or just my great-gramps). However, DH thinks that people now associite the name Sidney with girls named after US soap characters. Is that true? What do people think of a boy called Sidney, shortened to Sonny?

My friend has a little boy called Sidney - a very lovely, and uncommon name nowadays! Go for it! x

Not keen , it's my uncle's and was grandad's name... very old fashioned and a bit spiv/Eastenders but maybe that's just me (not that I mean to give a bad impression of my family haha). Sonny just sounds Indian to me, as I know a number of Sandeeps who shorten to that. Again maybe it's just a personal thing, but so are names, if you like it, so what. Although I had an ex called Robin and everyone in the US found it hilarious as that too is a girl's name there.

certainly always associated it as a boy's name. Awful for grils.

I mean awful for girls

my dd2 is Sidney. Why is it awful???

simply because I associate it as being a boy's name

i don't think you should associate names strictly to boys and girls as most names are unisex now. Every name i have chose for the one i have on the way are unisex so we don't have a boy and girl lists just loads of names that can be for both girls and boys.

I don't like Sidney at all for a girl, it's not an attractive name at all. For boys I wouldn't choose it myself, but Sid is quite cute I think for a boy as a shortening.

oops meant to say, I really like the nickname Sonny. I'd say go for it!

no offers here artichokes . am fed up of whole caboodle. keep finding gorgeous places to buy in devon.... luckily dp is more patient than me!

Well now I am doubting Sonny. Unconnected to this thread Cod spontaneaoulsy cited it as a stupid name last night. Apparantly Sophie Elis-Bextor used it for her son. Hmmmm. Now I just don't know.

Hoxton sorry to hear that you are also having problems selling. The market is pants at the moment. Where are you hoping to move to in Devon? I grew-up there.

I love Sidney for a boy, totally diff than it would be for a girl.

Sidney is a fab name. someone at baby massage had named her son Sidney and everyone there liked it too.

I was going to say Betty MacDonald's mother was S - thank you Rusty! - but so also was the mother of the Mitfords and it would have been towards the end of the 19th century when she was born. Perhaps the female version has more traditionally been Sydney? But has certainly been in use in the UK for more than 100 years.

I like it as a boy's name but I know several girl Sidneys in the US and that has spoilt it for me.

I think you should take a stand and use it for a boy.

(btw, I only know boy Finleys)

I wonder if it started the transition to girls' name in the US because of the place-name-as-girls'-name trend.

How about Cid? As in El Cid?

Lol at El Cid. It could certainly be a nickname!

Am still loving Sidney but DH is all about Wilfred or Reuben. I guess we have about 35 weeks to think about it.

Would it be too much if I start a differnt name thread every week for 35 weeks .

I'm on a heroic names kick at the mo.
I had a great uncle Wilf. He was lovely. Also, showing my age, remember Wilf Lunn form vision on? He was great.

I would ignore US name trends. Makes it too complicated.

I think Sidney is a great name, but have to say Wilf is cool too.

Isn't it strange that girls get given boy's names, but it doesn't seem to work the other way round. Not too many boys called Charlotte or Bridget.

(Bridget - there's a name due for a revival!)

Hey ,

This topic has made me chuckle, I have a 5 year old ds called Sidney. Never heard of Sonny, but he is called Sid at school and Sidders at home.

We named our son after Sid James, yes we are Carry on Freaks! and also after my great uncle Sid. He was a cockney but what's wrong with that - apparently Henry VIII had a cockney accent lol!

He is the only Sid in the class and school, we were tempted to call him Stan or Ned (but too many people kept bringing up Ned Flanders), but as soon as we saw him we knew he was our Sidders!

I always associate the name with humour and hilarity and happiness, think of Sid and you never think grumpy!

I personally don't like the girls name Sydney, and some people have sent cards with it spelt that way, but hey it's not really one of life's big problems is it - like world hunger or poverty...

BTW - next son I have (in my dreams) - I want to call him Victor. Class boys name!

I don't mind it for a boys name but I do love the name Cyd (as in Charisse) for a girl.
x

Love Sidney for a boy and don't think its been ruined at all.