Fun Facts About the Name Sully
- More than 1 thousand babies named Sully: U.S. records list 1,050 babies given the name Sully from 1880 through 2025. Even 370 girls received the name Sully - about 1 girl for every 2 boys.
What Does the Name Sully Mean?
Sully is a habitational surname that has become a given name, so its basic sense is "person from Sully" rather than a descriptive phrase with one agreed translation. The best-documented place of that name is Sully-sur-Loire in France, whose Latin form Sulliacum or Soliacum was built from a Roman personal name such as Sollius or Solius plus the place-name suffix -acum, giving the sense "estate of Sollius." The surname of the French noble family of Béthune, made famous by Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully, comes from that lordship.
An English and Welsh surname Sully also exists. It is linked to the village of Sully in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, called Y Sili in Welsh, and the origin of that place name is not settled. Some reference works treat the English surname as a variant related to names such as Sulley, but the exact derivation remains uncertain. Because the name is drawn from more than one place and language, no single etymology covers every bearer.
As a given name, Sully is also used as a short form of Sullivan, the English form of the Irish surname Ó Súileabháin. In that use it is a familiar nickname rather than a separate name with its own meaning.
Sully Name History & Origins
Sully began as a surname, and surnames of this type were normally taken from a place. In France, the seigneurie of Sully-sur-Loire gave a surname to the Béthune family; Maximilien de Béthune was created duc de Sully in 1606 and served as superintendent of finances under King Henry IV. His prominence carried the French form of the name through European records.
In Britain, Sully was likewise a surname tied to the Glamorgan village of Sully, and it also appears as a spelling of closely related surnames. In Ireland, Sully has been used as a spoken short form of Sullivan (Ó Súileabháin), which is why the two are often connected in family histories.
The given name Sully is a transferred use of the surname, and it also serves as a nickname for men named Sullivan. Fictional bearers such as the nickname of Byron Sully in the television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and of Jake Sully in the film Avatar are later uses of the name and do not account for its origin.
How Popular is the Name Sully?
Sully has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2011. Its best rank was #2,412 in 1984.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #14,725 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #17,335 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #17,316 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2022 | #11,136 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #12,065 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #10,982 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #12,323 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #11,325 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #9,284 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2015 | #14,329 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #14,387 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #16,312 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #19,237 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #10,381 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #15,054 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #20,107 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #20,200 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #13,470 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #17,623 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #17,291 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #14,205 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #13,506 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #11,646 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1993 | #11,656 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #8,669 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #7,372 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1990 | #4,676 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1989 | #3,661 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 1988 | #7,059 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #4,643 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1986 | #4,174 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1985 | #3,830 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1984 | #2,412 | 40 | 0.0024% |
| 1982 | #8,130 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1981 | #11,949 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #8,961 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,371 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 2024 | #3,577 | 32 | 0.0019% |
| 2023 | #4,098 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 2022 | #5,605 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2021 | #3,637 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2020 | #4,679 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2019 | #4,783 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2018 | #4,201 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2017 | #4,725 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2016 | #4,750 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2015 | #5,482 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2014 | #4,244 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 2013 | #4,952 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2012 | #3,291 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2011 | #2,843 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 2010 | #3,366 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 2009 | #3,467 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 2008 | #4,125 | 25 | 0.0012% |
| 2007 | #4,349 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 2006 | #4,200 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 2005 | #4,169 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2004 | #4,391 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2003 | #4,595 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2002 | #3,770 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2001 | #5,105 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2000 | #7,324 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #5,789 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1997 | #9,116 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #4,369 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1995 | #7,694 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #10,063 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #8,572 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Sully Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. Emergencies may raise your intuitive abilities in order to resolve conflict or situation. You become very creative under the pressure, and have quite original ideas to make the best out of it.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Sully's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Sully's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.