Sullivan
An Irish surname commonly explained as meaning “dark-eyed,” though one old source also linked it to a traditional Irish oath phrase.
The #105 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 1,397 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is usually taken from the Irish Gaelic name Ó Súilleabháin, traditionally analyzed as containing súil, meaning “eye,” with a descriptive element often glossed as “dark” or “one-eyed,” though older dictionaries sometimes treated the form more loosely. In older scholarship, the name was also fancifully connected with an oath formula involving “the hand of Sullivan,” but that is best regarded as a folk explanation rather than a secure etymology. The name is now understood as an Irish family surname rather than an English occupational or place-name.
History
Sullivan is one of the best-known Irish surnames and became especially widespread outside Ireland through migration to Britain, North America, and elsewhere. English genealogical works from the 19th century note families in Devon and other places that had come from Irish Sullivans, and the name later became strongly established across the English-speaking world. It remains especially common in Ireland, the United States, and countries shaped by Irish emigration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
William and Gilbert turned the name into a household word in the duo Gilbert and Sullivan, helping make it instantly recognizable far beyond Ireland.
From the historical record
“SULLEN. From disposition. SULLIVAN. By the hand of Sul- livan, is an Iri h oath, which is considered of the most obligatory character. Accord- to an ancient rhyme, there is — " Nulla mamis Tain liberalis Atque gencralis Atque uni^'ei'salis Quam SuUivanus."”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom