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“Variant of O'Sullivan — descendant of Súileabhán ('dark-eyed one' (Irish))” — Irish origin
Boy's name · #314 in the US (2025) · Trending
Sullivan is climbing: on the charts since 1884, it reached #314 in 2025 — its strongest showing yet, with about 1,100 boys given the name last year. Roughly 16,000 have carried it all-time. It is also an American family name — about 221,000 people carried it as a surname in the 2010 census. Sully is a short form of Sullivan.
Around the world: about 1 in 960 boys in Canada (2024) · about 1 in 1,600 boys in New Zealand (2025) · about 1 in 1,600 boys in England & Wales (2025).
Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 43 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.
Among 29 notable people named Sullivan:
Entertainers appear 2× more often than among typical names — e.g. Sullivan Stapleton, Australian actor (born 1977).
Similar names: Bowen · Suleiman · Ronan · Kian · Callahan · Kieran
Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.