The Irish surname of Sullivan comes from the term ‘suil‘ which means eye. Another form is ’ban’ which means fair-eyed or the Irish version of ’eabhain’ which means dark-eyed or having a hawk-eye. The Gaelic spelling for Sullivan was ‘Ó Súileabháin’.

Several other spelling variations are O’Sullivan, Sillifant, Sullivant, Silliphant, Sullavan and Osullivan.

The Sullivan surname is very common in Ireland along with the O’Sullivan spelling, all dating back for centuries.

Only in the London area of England is the Sullivan name common. There are some in Wales and some in the English county of Lancashire. Scotland has the Sullivan surname common throughout the area, especially in the central and southern region.

Australia and Canada have many Sullivan families in their population. Within the United States the Sullivan surname is in the northeast, mostly in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois.

Famous: Arthur Sullivan (music composer), Anne Sullivan (teacher of the blind), Ed Sullivan (entertainment writer and host), Kevin Sullivan (wrestler), Kathryn D. Sullivan (U. S. astronaut), Louis Sullivan (architect), Cory Sullivan (professional baseball player), Jeremiah C. Sullivan (Civil War Union general) and John L. Sullivan (champion boxer).