Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2011

Sully

Meaning A diminutive of the male given name Sullivan Gender Unisex · 35% girls Rank 2025 #3,371 Trend ↑ Rising 45%

A diminutive of the male given name Sullivan.

Rank 2025
#3,371
among boys · ↑223 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
41
named Sully · +11% vs 2024
How common
1 in 48,802
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2011
47 babies
All-time total
1,050
#6,566 all-time among boys
First recorded
1980
in Social Security records

Sully popularity over time

1,050 babies have been named Sully since 1980, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.010.020.020.0318801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s 159 – 159 16 – –
1990s 69 50 119 12 -25% #4,370
2000s 35 210 245 25 +106% #3,467
2010s 65 257 322 32 +31% #2,843
2020s (to 2025) 42 163 205 34 +6% #3,371

Where Sully is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 37 0.02 outside top 500
2027 39 0.02 outside top 500
2028 40 0.02 outside top 500
2029 41 0.02 outside top 500
2030 43 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Sully

Sully is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #3,371 in 2025 with 35 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1980, 1,050 American babies have been named Sully, about 65% boys and 35% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2011, when 47 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Sully stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Sully?

The median living Sully is about 15 years old; half are between 7 and 27. An estimated 1,000 people named Sully are alive in the United States today.

median 15 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Sully year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 6 #14,725 35 #3,371
2024 5 #17,394 32 #3,594
2023 5 #17,331 27 #4,102
2022 9 #11,144 17 #5,605
2021 8 #12,074 31 #3,639
2020 9 #10,986 21 #4,679
2019 8 #12,325 21 #4,785
2018 9 #11,330 25 #4,203
2017 12 #9,286 21 #4,726
2016 – – 21 #4,752
2015 7 #14,335 17 #5,483
2014 7 #14,392 24 #4,244
2013 6 #16,316 19 #4,954
2012 – – 34 #3,290
2011 5 #19,239 42 #2,843
2010 11 #10,384 33 #3,366
2009 7 #15,054 32 #3,467
2008 5 #20,109 25 #4,125
2007 5 #20,201 23 #4,350
2006 8 #13,473 23 #4,200
2005 – – 22 #4,169
2004 – – 20 #4,393
2003 – – 18 #4,595
2002 – – 23 #3,771
2001 5 #17,624 15 #5,105
2000 5 #17,292 9 #7,325
1995 7 #11,647 7 #7,696
1990 21 #4,676 – –
1985 22 #3,830 – –
1980 7 #8,961 – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Sully

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Sully Prudhomme Sully Prudhomme French poet (1839–1907) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Sully, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Sully?

The median living Sully is about 15 years old. Half of all living Sullys are between 7 and 27 years old.

How many people named Sully are alive today?

An estimated 1,000 people named Sully are alive in the United States, based on 1,050 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Sully mean?

A diminutive of the male given name Sullivan.

How popular is the name Sully in 2025?

Sully ranked #3,371 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 35 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sully?

1,050 babies have been named Sully in the United States since 1980, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sully most popular?

Sully peaked in 2011, when 47 newborns received the name.

Is Sully a boy or girl name?

Sully is used for both: about 35% of babies named Sully have been girls and 65% boys.

Is the name Sully rising or falling?

Sully is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Sully become more popular?

Sully is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 43 boys named Sully in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Sully?

Well-known people named Sully include Sully Prudhomme (writer).

Names like Sully

Names that sound and feel close to Sully: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Sully with similar names → More names starting with S →