Boys' name · peaked in 2025
Sullivan name popularity since 1925
16,776 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Sullivan (8.6% girls, 91.4% boys). Half of them were born in 2017 or earlier, so the typical Sullivan is about 9 years old in 2026. Sullivan peaked in 2025 as the #314 name for boys, and it ranked #314 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 16,776
- Named Sullivan, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #314
- for boys in 2025 (1,083 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 91.4% boys
- 1,442 girls · 15,334 boys
- Most popular in
- South Carolina
- 4.28× its national share
Peak year is the year Sullivan made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Sullivan births per year, 1925–2025
2025 was the biggest year for Sullivan both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 2006 and 2011, Sullivan became 2.6× more common, from 1 in 10,100 baby boys to 1 in 3,890.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Sullivan's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Sullivan.
Decade by decade
Babies named Sullivan in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 65 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 110 | #2,919 |
| 1940s | 0 | 114 | #1,762 |
| 1950s | 0 | 129 | #2,127 |
| 1960s | 0 | 85 | #2,162 |
| 1970s | 0 | 86 | #3,631 |
| 1980s | 0 | 83 | #7,457 |
| 1990s | 84 | 535 | #1,600 |
| 2000s | 247 | 2,135 | #927 |
| 2010s | 605 | 6,428 | #455 |
| 2020–25 | 506 | 5,564 | #314 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
69.1% of babies named Sullivan from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where Sullivan is most popular
The index compares Sullivan's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Sullivan.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 4.28× | 833 |
| Minnesota | 3.24× | 822 |
| Wisconsin | 2.39× | 654 |
| Colorado | 2.12× | 363 |
| Iowa | 2.12× | 375 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Sullivan's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Sullivan.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Sullivan (2025).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data