Given name & surname · also Gaelic
Sully
“a dark-eyed woman”·“from the south meadow”·“from the southern meadow”
Sully is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “a dark-eyed woman”, “from the south meadow”, and “from the southern meadow”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “a dark-eyed woman”, “from the south meadow”, and “from the southern meadow”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
In English usage, Sully is a diminutive of Sullivan.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1980. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Sully through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,050
- 680 boys · 370 girls
- Most popular year
- 2011
- 47 babies
- 2025
- 41
- #3,371 for boys · #14,725 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +19%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 35 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,371 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 30.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 42 in 2011. It also appeared in 6 birth records for girls in 2025. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,375 as a first name in 2020; 1,047 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.
Sully’s family of names
In English usage, Sully is a diminutive of Sullivan. Sully has a related form in Sullea. Sully has a related form in Sulleah.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 17
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Sully
- Sully PrudhommeFrench poet, Nobel prize for literature winner 1901 (1839–1907)
- Sully ErnaAmerican rock musicianborn 1968
- Sully BoyarAmerican actor (1924–2001)1923–2001
- Sully-André PeyreFrench poet (1890-1961)
- Sully DíazAmerican actress and singerborn 1960
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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