Sullivan is a distinctive choice, ranked #269 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Sullivan in their class.
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UK Rank 2024
#269
US Rank #339
About the Name Sullivan
2024 marks Sullivan's peak year in UK records so far, sitting at UK #269. The name has climbed 155 places in the last five years — a significant surge by any measure. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Sullivan is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
In the US it sits at #339 — notably more popular in the UK than across the Atlantic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Sullivan
Unlikely. With around 174 UK babies named Sullivan per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Sullivan in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Sullivan is currently rising in popularity in the UK, up 155 places over the last five years to #269 in 2024. If this trend continues, it will become more common in classrooms over the next decade.
Sullivan is more popular in the UK (#269) than in the US (#339). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Sullivan include: Erik Per Sullivan — Erik Per Sullivan is an American former actor.; Susan Sullivan — Susan Sullivan is an American actress known for her roles as Lenore Curtin Delaney on the NBC daytime soap opera Another World, as Lois Adams on the ABC sitcom...; Charlotte Sullivan — Charlotte Sullivan is a Canadian actress..
Sullivan appears in the US top 500 at #339 in 2024 — moderately popular in America, though less so than in the UK.
174
UK babies named Sullivan (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.1
In a school of 600
↑ 155 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Sullivan
Likely around 1 other Sullivan in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2024)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Sullivan
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Susan Sullivan is an American actress known for her roles as Lenore Curtin Delaney on the NBC daytime soap opera Another World, as Lois Adams on the ABC sitcom It's a Living, as Maggie Gioberti Channing on the CBS primetime soap opera Falcon Crest, as Kitty Montgomery on the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg, and as Martha Rodgers on Castle. She earned an Emmy nomination for Lead Actress for the role of Julie Farr in the 1978 series Julie Farr, M.D.
Charlotte Sullivan is a Canadian actress. Her credits include Harriet the Spy, Goosebumps, The New Ghostwriter Mysteries, How to Deal, Fever Pitch, MVP, The Cry of the Owl, Rookie Blue, The Kennedys, The Colony, Chicago Fire, Mary Kills People, Caught, Wynonna Earp, Law & Order: Organized Crime, and Pretty Hard Cases.
Louis Graydon Sullivan was an American author and activist known for his work on behalf of transgender men. He was perhaps the first trans man to publicly identify as gay, and is largely responsible for the modern understanding of sexual orientation and gender identity as distinct, unrelated concepts.
Anne Sullivan Macy was an American teacher best known for being the instructor and lifelong companion of Helen Keller. At age five, Sullivan contracted trachoma which left her partially blind and without reading or writing skills.