SIDNEY

From an English surname which was originally derived from various place names in England meaning "wide island", from Old English sid "wide" and eg "island". Another theory holds that the surname comes from the name of town in Normandy called "Saint DENIS". It was first used as a given name in honour of executed politician Algernon Sidney (1622-1683). Another notable bearer of the surname was the poet and statesman Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586).