Sullivan
Sullivan was the 314th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,083 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 141 places. More babies were named Sullivan in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Irish
Say it SUL-ih-vun /ˈsʌlɪvən/
- Rank in 2025
- #314 boys, up 84 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,083boys
- Girls and boys
- 8% girls, 92% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20251,083 babies
- Total since 1880
- 17,077babies recorded
What does the name Sullivan mean?
Sullivan is the shortened English form of the Irish surname Ó Súilleabháin, "descendant of Súilleabhán", one of the most common surnames in southern Ireland. The personal name contains súil, "eye"; the second part is unclear, and explanations such as "dark-eyed" or "hawk-eyed" are traditional guesses. Wiktionary and Woulfe's 1923 index both treat O'Sullivan and Sullivan as forms of the Gaelic name.
Ó Súilleabháin (Irish, “descendant of Súilleabhán”)súil (Irish, “eye”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. The 'eye' element is clear; the rest of the personal name is not.
Other explanations you may read: means 'dark-eyed' or 'hawk-eyed'.
Related names: O'Sullivan, Sully.
See also: Irish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Sullivan', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames (1923), index of Irish surnames and their anglicized forms, M. H. Gill & Son (Internet Archive scan)
- Wiktionary, entry 'súil', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Sullivan
The usual nicknames for Sullivan are Sully. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Sullivan in the last five years, 3 were named Sully, against 12 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sully · also for Solomon | Traditional | #3,371 | 142 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Sullivans go by each one.
Sullivan popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,432 | #314 | 74 | 1,083 |
| 2020 | #2,313 | #398 | 77 | 770 |
| 2010 | #5,092 | #650 | 28 | 371 |
| 2000 | #5,911 | #1,465 | 19 | 85 |
| 1990 | — | #2,618 | — | 26 |
| 1980 | — | #4,456 | — | 9 |
| 1970 | — | #3,047 | — | 11 |
| 1960 | — | #2,849 | — | 10 |
| 1950 | — | #2,425 | — | 11 |
| 1940 | — | #2,841 | — | 8 |
| 1930 | — | #2,991 | — | 9 |
| 1920 | — | #2,216 | — | 15 |
| 1910 | — | #1,566 | — | 6 |
| 1900 | — | #898 | — | 10 |
| 1890 | — | #663 | — | 10 |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Sullivan, counting every spelling?
Sullivan has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #322 for boys in 2025, against #314 on the official list, because Bryan/Brian/Bryon and Kason/Kasen/Casen and Mohamed/Mohammad/Mohammed move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Sullivan?
1,083 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Sullivan (0.30 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Sullivan born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 8 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Sullivan.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Sullivan?
About 14,900 people born in the US named Sullivan are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 4 and 15. That makes Sullivan a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Sullivan by state
How common Sullivan was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Vermont (7.2×), Maine (5.1×), Minnesota (4.0×), South Dakota (4.0×), South Carolina (3.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nevada, Mississippi, California.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Sullivan: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Sullivan, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Sullivan · Sibling names for Sullivan
Questions about the name Sullivan
What does Sullivan mean?
The origin of Sullivan is uncertain: the 'eye' element is clear; the rest of the personal name is not.
How popular is the name Sullivan?
Sullivan was the 314th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,083 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 141 places. More babies were named Sullivan in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Sullivan a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 8% girls, 92% boys given the name Sullivan in the US.
Where is Sullivan most popular?
In 2021–2025, Sullivan was most common in Vermont (3.98 per 1,000 boys), followed by Maine and Minnesota.