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    The surname O'Sullivan

    An Irish surname, carried by 11,818 people in the United States.

    Pronounced /oʊˈsʌl.əv.ən/ 4 syllables Soundex O241

    O'Sullivan: #3,032 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#100Jimenez#1,000Archer#10,001Dubon O'Sullivan #3,032, 11,818 people O'Sullivan: #3,032 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#100Jimenez O'Sullivan #3,032, 11,818 people
    Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). O'Sullivan is more common than 98.1% of them.

    Origin

    Irish origin

    From Irish Ó Súilleabháin.

    One of 880 Irish surnames on this site.

    Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    How common it is

    2010 US Census

    There were 11,818 people named O'Sullivan in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 26,125 Americans. That is up 8.6% since 2000, when the Census counted 10,879.

    #3,032
    rank among US surnames
    11,818
    people in 2010
    4.0
    per 100,000 Americans
    +8.6%
    change since 2000 (was #3,054)
    RankSurnamePeople1 in
    #3,023Beauchamp11,86526,022
    #3,024Viera11,86126,030
    #3,025Moffett11,85326,048
    #3,026Stuckey11,84626,063
    #3,027Brumfield11,84226,072
    #3,028Lankford11,83426,090
    #3,029Bolanos11,82926,101

    Who is named O'Sullivan

    Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

    94% of people named O'Sullivan identified as white (not Hispanic), 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race) and 1.7% as Black (not Hispanic).

    • White (not Hispanic) 94%
    • Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.3%
    • Black (not Hispanic) 1.7%
    • Two or more races 1.2%
    • Asian and Pacific Islander 0.8%
    • American Indian and Alaska Native 0.2%

    Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

    Famous O'Sullivans

    8 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Richard O'Sullivan
      British actor (1944–2026)
    • John L. O'Sullivan
      American politician (1813-1895)
    • Anthony O'Sullivan
      American actor and director (1855-1920)
    • Timothy H. O'Sullivan
      American photographer (1840–1882)
    • Patrick O'Sullivan
      American ice hockey player, born 1985
    • Shawn O'Sullivan
      Boxer, born 1962
    • Pat Sullivan
      Australian animator (1887–1933)
    • Charlotte Wolter
      Austrian actress (1834-1897)

    Notable O'Sullivans come mostly from the United States (4), the United Kingdom (1) and Canada (1).

    Other Irish surnames

    All 880 Irish surnames

    Questions

    Where does the surname O'Sullivan come from?
    From Irish Ó Súilleabháin.
    How common is the surname O'Sullivan?
    11,818 people in the United States had the surname O'Sullivan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 26,125 Americans. It ranked 3,032nd of 162,253 surnames.
    What ethnicity is the surname O'Sullivan?
    In the 2010 Census, 94% of people named O'Sullivan identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
    Who is the most famous person named O'Sullivan?
    Richard O'Sullivan, British actor (1944–2026), followed by John L. O'Sullivan.
    Where is the surname O'Sullivan most common?
    Wikidata records people named O'Sullivan in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada and 2 other countries.
    How do you pronounce O'Sullivan?
    O'Sullivan is /oʊˈsʌl.əv.ən/, 4 syllables.
    Is the surname O'Sullivan getting more or less common?
    More common. 10,879 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 11,818 in 2010, up 8.6%.