Sigourney

/sɪˈɡɔː(ɹ)ni/

//sɪˈɡɔː(ɹ)ni// name

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"sigourney" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Sigourney” is uncommon English (frequency #57,710 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,710
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A surname from French.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sigourney · Sigourney · English

Sigourney · rank #57,710 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,710
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Sigrid

Nearest frequency peer: Sigrid (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “Sigourney”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “Sigourney” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Sigourney
PropertyValue
HeadwordSigourney
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/sɪˈɡɔː(ɹ)ni/
Letters9
Frequency rank#57,710
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Sigourney” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).Sigourneyfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Sigrid” (#57,711), “shakeup” (#57,707), “singe” (#57,713). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “Sigourney” is #57,710. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Sigourney is uncommon English at frequency #57,710 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /sɪˈɡɔː(ɹ)ni/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for Sigourney, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: According to Ernest Nègre in his book Toponymie générale de la France (1990), the French placename Sigournais comes from Old French Segurniaci, which itself has been derived from Latin Secorinus + -acum. So it appears that the resemblance to Germanic dithem… The correct English form is Sigourney, spelled S-I-G-O-U-R-N-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A surname from French.
  2. 2
    A male given name transferred from the surname.
  3. 3
    A female given name transferred from the surname.
  4. 4
    A small city, the county seat of Keokuk County, Iowa, United States.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Sigourney appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. “Please come and see me. . . . Phone book. . . . Under the name of Mrs. Sigourney Howard. . . . My aunt. . . .” [In the novel, "Mrs. Sigourney Howard" means "the wife of Mr. Sigourney Howard".]
  2. The actress Sigourney Weaver took her ‘stage’ name from Sigourney Howard, a minor character mentioned in The Great Gatsby. But what is also worth noting is the fact that the character’s name, ‘Mrs Sigourney Howard’, actually refers to the husband, so Sigourney is a male given name in the novel.

Etymology

According to Ernest Nègre in his book Toponymie générale de la France (1990), the French placename Sigournais comes from Old French Segurniaci, which itself has been derived from Latin Secorinus + -acum. So it appears that the resemblance to Germanic dithematic names starting with *segaz is superficial.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Sigourney"?
"Sigourney" is spelled S-I-G-O-U-R-N-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /sɪˈɡɔː(ɹ)ni/.
What does "Sigourney" mean?
As a proper noun, "Sigourney" means: A surname from French.
How do you pronounce "Sigourney"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Sigourney" is /sɪˈɡɔː(ɹ)ni/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "Sigourney"?
According to Ernest Nègre in his book Toponymie générale de la France (1990), the French placename Sigournais comes from Old French Segurniaci, which itself has been derived from Latin Secorinus + -acum. So it appears that the resemblance to Germa... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Sigourney", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Schleswig#57,703spacewalk#57,727Streatham#57,741sunburned#57,746

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list