Find out how popular the last name Sullivan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sullivan.

Sullivan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sullivan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sullivan in America

Sullivan is the 105th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sullivan surname appeared 220,990 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 75 people would have the surname Sullivan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sullivan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sullivan

The surname Sullivan has its origins in Ireland, tracing back to the 12th century. It is an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic Ó Súilleabháin, which translates to "descendant of Súilleabháin." Súilleabháin is derived from the old Irish words "súil," meaning eye, and "bán," meaning white or fair.

The name is believed to have originated in County Cork and County Kerry, where the Sullivans were prominent clans and prominent landowners. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions the name as early as the 13th century.

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Sullivan was Donal Og Sullivan, a 16th-century Irish chieftain who led a rebellion against English rule in Munster. His death in 1618 marked the end of the Sullivan clan's dominance in the region.

Another historically significant Sullivan was Sir William Sullivan, an Irish politician and lawyer who lived from 1764 to 1839. He served as Master of the Rolls in Ireland and was a noted champion of Catholic Emancipation.

In the literary world, Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909), an influential English poet and critic, had the maternal surname Sullivan. Swinburne was a prominent figure in the Victorian era and is remembered for his controversial writings and advocacy of free love.

In the realm of sports, John L. Sullivan (1858-1918) was an American boxer and the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing. Known as the "Boston Strong Boy," he popularized boxing and helped establish it as a legitimate sport.

A more recent historical figure with the Sullivan surname is Anne Mansfield Sullivan (1866-1936), an American educator famous for being the instructor and lifelong companion of Helen Keller. Sullivan's groundbreaking methods of teaching Keller, who was deaf and blind, were widely acclaimed and inspired many in the field of education for the disabled.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sullivan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sullivan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sullivan was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sullivan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sullivan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sullivan, please contact us.

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