Sully
Sully is a name with a single cultural origin: English.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Sully
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Sully is a name with a single cultural origin: English.
Origin data from Behind the Name .
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Sully
As a girl name
The earliest SSA record of Sully as a girl name dates back to 1980, when 7 babies received it. 1984 was its biggest year on record, with 40 newborns named Sully — #2,382 in the national rankings. About 44% of every Sully on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Sully last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 364 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
Sully first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1993, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2011: 42 births, good for #2,797 nationwide. About 36% of every Sully on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Sully ranks #3,682 for boys with 31 births, rising sharply (+15% over the past five years). All told, over 706 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1990s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Sully
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Sully. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Sully
Phonetically similar names — useful when Sully is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sully
What does the name Sully mean?
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How popular is Sully in 2026?
When was Sully most popular?
In which U.S. states is Sully most popular?
Is Sully a unisex name?
What names go well with Sully?
What are nicknames or variants of Sully?
About the name Sully
Sully is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1993 and has accumulated 706 births in the dataset. Sully's peak popularity came in 2011 when it ranked #2,797. Use the chart and map above to compare Sully's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2011 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.