# Sullivan (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/sullivan/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Irish.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 220,990 |
| US rank (2010) | 105 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 1,397 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.5% (215,640 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsʌlɪvən/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Sullivant |

## Etymology

Clipping of O'Sullivan. From Irish Ó Súilleabháin.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Sullivan in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 88% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 7.1% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 1.6% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Sullivan in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and Canada.

## People named Sullivan

- Louis Sullivan, American architect (1856-1924)
- Anne Sullivan, American teacher (1866–1936)
- Kathryn D. Sullivan, American astronaut (born 1951)
- Ed Sullivan, American television host (1901-1974)
- Dennis Sullivan, American mathematician
- Jake Sullivan, American attorney and politician (born 1976)
- Harry Stack Sullivan, American psychiatrist & psychoanalyst (1892-1949)
- Nicole Sullivan, American actress
- Jazmine Sullivan, American singer
- Erik Sullivan, American actor (born 1991)
- Susan Sullivan, American actress (b. 1942)
- John L. Sullivan, American boxer (1858–1918)

and 59 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Sylvain, Slavin, Slaven, Sclafani, Slavens, Slevin.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.