Sides
A surname that is usually patronymic or topographic, originally tied to a person called Side or to living by the side of something.
The #4,334 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 37,679 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The clearest historical treatment in the sources treats Sides as "Side's"—that is, "son of Side," from a personal name Side. In older English, the element behind Side may be related to Old English words for "broad" or, in some interpretations, to an older form connected with qualities like respectability or good conduct. The surname can also be understood in some cases as topographic, from someone who lived by a side or hillside, though the patronymic explanation is the one directly given in the supplied dictionary excerpt.
History
The name appears in English surname material alongside related forms such as Sideman and Sidgreaves, showing that it belonged to a small cluster of old English name-types built on Side/Sid-. As with many short surnames, later records may preserve more than one origin path, so different families named Sides need not share the same source. The modern surname is established in English-speaking countries, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same source group links Sides with Sideman, suggesting that the root Side was productive enough to generate several surname forms, not just one.
From the historical record
“records as Sidbothom, Sidebotham. Cp. Longbottom. SIDES, Side's (Son): v. Side. SID(E)MAN (Eng.) the A.-Sax. Sideman [the first element here is rather O.E. side- (as in sidefull,c\izsie., respectable, good),f. sidu, chastity, than O.E.,j/rf, broad: cp. the corresp.O.N. «1Sa-»ja'S-r,'a well-bred man'] Sidgreaves”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)