Unisex name · since 1884
Sullivan
15,635 babies named Sullivan in U.S. Social Security records since 1884, with the highest year being 2025. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #951 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #314 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 15,635
- born since 1884
- 2010s
- peak decade
15,635 babies have been named Sullivan since 1884, making it today's #314 unisex name.
Sullivan has 15,635 recorded births among boys since 1884, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #314 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1884 to 2025.
- #951 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #314 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 15,635 born since 1884
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sullivan ranks #951 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #314 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 15,635 born since 1884, peaking in the 2010s.
- #951 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #314 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 15,635
- born since 1884
- 2010s
- peak decade
Sullivan's 15,635 recorded births place it above 97.9% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
46 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Minnesota.
How Sullivan compares
15,635 Top 7% higher than 93% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Sullivan's all-time total is 42x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sullivan | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 15,635 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,083 | 34 | 22,252 |
Sullivan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Sullivan's SSA record in two at 1961 and the more recent half accounts for 95% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 5%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1886, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2025 peak of 1,083, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Sullivan popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1884–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 1,083
- Annual births at peak, across 142 years of records
Sullivan popularity over time - girls
1,442 total births recorded since 1993 (Sullivan as girls' name)
Sullivan by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (6,428 births, 41% of the file).
2010s was Sullivan's strongest decade.
6,428 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 41% of all-time use.
Sullivan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 30
1880s
30 births
- 1890s 63
1890s
63 births
- 1900s 10
1900s
10 births
- 1910s 122
1910s
122 births
- 1920s 141
1920s
141 births
- 1930s 110
1930s
110 births
- 1940s 114
1940s
114 births
- 1950s 129
1950s
129 births
- 1960s 85
1960s
85 births
- 1970s 86
1970s
86 births
- 1980s 83
1980s
83 births
- 1990s 535
1990s
535 births
- 2000s 2,135
2000s
2,135 births
- 2010s
2010s
6,428 births
- 2020s
2020s
5,564 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 6,428 births (41% of all-time use).
How Sullivan compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Sullivan's total volume
Sullivan by state
Where Sullivan concentrates geographically, total births since 1884
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Minnesota | | 822 | 5.3% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 805 | 5.1% |
| #3 | California | | 686 | 4.4% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 679 | 4.3% |
| #5 | Wisconsin | | 654 | 4.2% |
| #6 | South Carolina | | 633 | 4.0% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 628 | 4.0% |
| #8 | Texas | | 620 | 4.0% |
822 of 15,635 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.
Sullivan appears in 46 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Sullivan's data
- Sullivan's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (6,428 total births) through the 2020s (5,564) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Minnesota records the most Sullivans (822 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Minnesota names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sullivan
Nearby Names Like Sullivan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sullivan
Compare Sullivan side by side: Sullivan vs Sultan Sullivan vs Sulaiman Sullivan vs Suleiman
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sullivan
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sullivan: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2025)
Similar record span (~141 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1884–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Sullivan draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.