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Baby names

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Original poster

Sullivan

164 replies

Moomoo36 · 08/06/2023 21:42

I normally like more classic names but for some reason I'm taken with Sullivan.

Has anyone used it/know one/have an opinion on it?

Doubt I'm having a boy anyway as this is dc4 and all the others are girls but good to be prepared!

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ComeTheFuckOnBridgett · 08/06/2023 23:16

@Sugarfree23 Jones and smith doesn't have the 'son' on the end either but they're definitely more surnames than anything, just like Sullivan.

Sugarfree23 · 08/06/2023 23:18

Maybe it's a Scottish thing of names being used for both first name and surname, part of it being mother's maiden name being used for the first son.

But I definitely wouldn't think anything of the name Sullivan as a first name, it could also get shortened to Ivan

MaudGonneOutForChips · 08/06/2023 23:19

If you wouldn’t call your baby Murphy, Jones or Singh, don’t call it Sullivan.

BlahBlahBlerg · 08/06/2023 23:22

DustyLee123 · 08/06/2023 21:50

I think of it as a surname, not a first name. Sully could be cute though.

Cute. But all I picture is

Sullivan
croft89 · 08/06/2023 23:25

Reminds me of the drug dealer called Sully in Top Boy

Tintackedsea · 08/06/2023 23:32

Suliven is a hill in Scotland if you want an alternative spelling.

(It was also a ferry for many years but the least said about Scottish ferries the better!)

SlippySarah · 08/06/2023 23:38

I really cannot get on board with the trend to use surnames as first names. I know too many - Jackson, Parker, Preston, Austin, Harrison. Its weird.

Sugarfree23 · 08/06/2023 23:57

Of that list the two I find weird are Harrison and Jackson.
McKenzie is another I find weird.

StandingMyGround888 · 09/06/2023 01:19

The word 'sully' does not have a pleasant meaning. Would you consider Sylvan instead?

fridaynight1 · 09/06/2023 01:58

As in Gillbert O?

It's surname, I wouldn't

user1492757084 · 09/06/2023 02:56

Sullivan and Sully are both nice.

junebirthdaygirl · 09/06/2023 03:11

I would only consider it if it was a family surname eg. Mothers maiden name or yours . Otherwise no! It's so popular as a surname in lreland it would always scream surname to me.

Nursey94 · 09/06/2023 03:14

We have a Sullivan/Sully (but usually gets shortened to Sol)
I'm biased but I love it and wouldn't change it!

Daffodilwoman · 09/06/2023 06:37

Screams surname to me too. I immediately think of a looser kind of guy. A loner who everyone steers clear of. Don’t know why, perhaps it’s been used in a dram as the name of the local wrong ‘un which I’ve watched!

TrashyPanda · 09/06/2023 06:56

Surname

Original poster
Moomoo36 · 09/06/2023 07:03

I am Scottish so maybe that's why I don't find the surname thing weird, thinking about it I know quite a lot of people with surnames for names.

I couldn't use Solomon. But if a niche reference but anyone who has seen sister wives will understand why 😂

OP posts:
LunaNorth · 09/06/2023 07:03

I like it.

I like Gulliver too, which is similar sounding but a bit less novel.

Mama2be23 · 09/06/2023 07:24

Sully is on my boys list! Just as Sully though, not Sullivan.

PP said not nice meaning...but the name Sully actually means 'from the South meadow' which is gorgeous!

LimeCheesecake · 09/06/2023 07:29

Most people won’t think I’d the Scottish meadow definition if they hear you’ve called your child Sully. They’ll think of the definition of the word Sully. Like this kid has ruined your life or something and you want everyone to know that…

Sugarfree23 · 09/06/2023 07:31

Tintackedsea · 08/06/2023 23:32

Suliven is a hill in Scotland if you want an alternative spelling.

(It was also a ferry for many years but the least said about Scottish ferries the better!)

I meant to say thanks 😊 for the education I'd heard of the hill but didn't know it had a different spelling.

Strugglingtodomybest · 09/06/2023 07:32

I don't like it sorry. It's a definite surname and the shortened version, Sully, just makes me think of the verb's meaning: "damage the purity or integrity of". Why would you call your baby that?

stingypeasant · 09/06/2023 07:38

GoodVibesHere · 08/06/2023 22:06

I don't like it sorry. It's a surname, and to me comes across as a bit random, like naming a child Morrison, or Patterson.

And these would be fine too! Like Stuart, Jackson, Findlay, Taylor, Harper, Addison, Alexander, Darcy good Lord I could go on forever. OP I like Sullivan. Go for it!

stingypeasant · 09/06/2023 07:44

SlippySarah · 08/06/2023 23:38

I really cannot get on board with the trend to use surnames as first names. I know too many - Jackson, Parker, Preston, Austin, Harrison. Its weird.

So presumably you think Alexander, Finlay/Findley, Bradley, Conrad, Curtis, Elliot, Gregory, Lachlan, Oliver and a thousand more are names you can't get on board with. No. I doubt it. You just don't like some names and maybe don't like things you aren't familiar with. It's nothing to do with whether they started as surnames or not

Snugglemonkey · 09/06/2023 08:19

MaudGonneOutForChips · 08/06/2023 23:19

If you wouldn’t call your baby Murphy, Jones or Singh, don’t call it Sullivan.

Murphy was in the running for my dc, but then she turned out to be a girl.

Snugglemonkey · 09/06/2023 08:22

LimeCheesecake · 09/06/2023 07:29

Most people won’t think I’d the Scottish meadow definition if they hear you’ve called your child Sully. They’ll think of the definition of the word Sully. Like this kid has ruined your life or something and you want everyone to know that…

I would put money on this not being the case for "most people".

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