Name profile
Sullivan
masculine
This reflects the first name on its own. The full-name report scores the complete combination separately.
Check it with a full name ↓Sullivan is the Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Súileabháin, from Irish 'súil' ("eye") plus 'dubh' ("dark, black") combined with a diminutive suffix, together understood as "dark-eyed" or referencing a similar physical trait of a clan ancestor. Its use as a given name is a modern surname-to-first-name transfer rather than a historic naming tradition of its own.
Why it works
- English speakers will almost certainly pronounce it correctly on the first try
Popularity
Distinctive — #314 in the latest U.S. ranking.
Meaning and origin
Sullivan means Dark-eyed (a compound sense built from Irish 'súil,' eye, and 'dubh,' dark/black, plus a diminutive suffix), describing a physical characteristic rather than a virtue or abstract quality.
Originally an Anglicized Irish surname now used as a given name in English-speaking countries, part of the broader modern trend of adopting Irish patronymic surnames (alongside names like Cassidy and Delaney) as first names.
Documented origin: Sullivan is the Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Súileabháin, from Irish 'súil' ("eye") plus 'dubh' ("dark, black") combined with a diminutive suffix, together understood as "dark-eyed" or referencing a similar physical trait of a clan ancestor. Its use as a given name is a modern surname-to-first-name transfer rather than a historic naming tradition of its own.
How it travels
English and Turkish are shown by default; German is included when it adds a meaningfully different reading.
Spelling stability: high — based on letter-pattern analysis, not a documented linguistic fact.
Also documented
English: ˈsʌl.ɪ.vən
Popularity without panic
Distinctive — #314 in the latest U.S. ranking.
Recognizable without feeling overused.
Full-name check
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Real-world considerations
- Spelling note: Sullavan.