Sullivan is a distinctive choice, ranked #274 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Sullivan in their class.
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UK Rank 2025
#274
US Rank #314
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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 fairly common in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Sullivan in their class.
In the US it sits at #339 — notably more popular in the UK than across the Atlantic.
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 It's a Living, as Maggie Gioberti Channing on the CBS primetime soap opera Falcon Crest, as Kitty…
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Sullivan
Unlikely. With around 165 UK babies named Sullivan per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Sullivan in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Sullivan is rising: up 150 places since 2020, to #274 in 2025. Its best recorded position was #269 in 2024.
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, Susan Sullivan and Charlotte Sullivan. Short summaries for each appear below.
Sullivan appears in the US top 500 at #339 in 2024 — moderately popular in America, though less so than in the UK.
165
UK babies named Sullivan (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.1
In a school of 600
↑ 150 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
Almost certainly the only Sullivan in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2025)
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.