Sullivan is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Sullivan means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Sullivan across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Sullivan has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Sullivan is a boy name of Irish (Gaelic) origin meaning “dark-eyed, or hawk-eyed”. An anglicized form of the Irish surname O Suileabhain.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 17,077 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,421 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 56 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 3 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Sullivan per year, United States (1884 to 2025). United States peaked in 2025 (1,157/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2024 (174/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2024 (12/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2024 (3/yr).
Sullivan has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2025, when it ranked #573 nationally (given to 1,328 babies that year).
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