Sullivan

S1U1L1L1I1V4A1N1
/ˈsʌlɪvən/

proper noun

A surname from Irish.

CommonScrabble 11

Meanings

proper nounSullivan (countable and uncountable, plural Sullivans)

plural Sullivans · alternative Sullivant

  1. countableuncountableA surname from Irish.

    Peterik’s co-writer, Frankie Sullivan, was also upset about the use of “Eye of the Tiger” and posted a message on Facebook to vent. […] Sullivan wasn’t having it.

    2015 September 9, Todd Leopold, “Band unhappy with use of ‘Eye of the Tiger’ for Kim Davis”, in CNN, archived from the original on 27 May 2023
    1 more example

    "Directoritis strikes again!" bemoans Dan Sullivan, who believes that the director of Wallace Shawn's Aunt Dan and Lemon replaces the characters' intellectual and verbal energy with "transparent rationalizations for the personal hang-ups of the characters […]

    1988, Richard H. Palmer, The Critics' Canon: Standards of Theatrical Reviewing in America
  2. A placename.
    1. countableuncountableA city, the county seat of Moultrie County, Illinois, United States.
    2. countableuncountableA city, the county seat of Sullivan County, Indiana, United States.
    3. countableuncountableA town in Hancock County, Maine, United States.
    4. countableuncountableA town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States.
    5. countableuncountableA town in Madison County, New York.
    6. abbreviationcountableellipsisuncountableEllipsis of Sullivan County.

Origin

  1. IrishÓ Súilleabháin
  2. EnglishSullivan

Clipping of O'Sullivan. From Irish Ó Súilleabháin.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Sullivan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sullivan

MLA

“Sullivan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sullivan. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Sullivan,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sullivan.

Source: Sullivan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.