Given name & surname
Sullivan
“having dark eyes”
Sullivan is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “having dark eyes.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “having dark eyes.”
How it developed
In English usage, Sullivan as a surname developed from Ó Súilleabháin.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1884. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Sullivan through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 17,077
- 15,635 boys · 1,442 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 1,157 babies
- 2025
- 1,157
- #314 for boys · #2,432 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +20%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 91% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,083 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 314 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 21.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 74 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Minnesota had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (75). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 10,147 as a first name in 2020; 212,701 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Sullivan’s family of names
In English usage, Sullivan has a diminutive in Sully. In English usage, Sullivan as a surname developed from the Irish form Ó Súilleabháin. Sullivan has a related form in Sullavan.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Sullivan
- Sullivan StapletonAustralian actor (born 1977)
- Sullivan BallouUnion Army officer (1829–1861)
- Sullivan Fortnermusical artistborn 1986
- Sullivan Walkeractor (1946-2012)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Sullivan, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Cillian
“one who suffers strife”
>99% boys
Ciaran
“a black-haired man; having dark features”
99% boys · 1% girls
Callahan
Callahan is a masculine given name from Irish.
90% boys · 10% girls
Callan
“one who is powerful in battle” · “a talkative woman”
95% boys · 5% girls
Ronan
“resembling a little seal”
99% boys · 1% girls
Kieran
“having dark features; the little dark one”
97% boys · 3% girls
Lachlan
“from the land of the lochs” · “from the land of lakes”
96% boys · 4% girls
Lochlan
“from the land of the lochs” · “from the land of lakes”
97% boys · 3% girls