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Irish surname

O'Sullivan: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Súileabháin · 'descendant of Súileabhán' (i.e., Súil-dubhán, black-eyed)

O'Sullivan, or Sullivan, is from the Irish Ó Súileabháin, 'descendant of Súileabhán'. Woulfe (1923) describes a Munster family of the same stock as the MacCarthys and O'Callaghans, first seated at Knockgraffon in Co. Tipperary, who in 1192 were forced into the mountains of Cork and Kerry, around the bays of Kenmare and Bantry. Webb calls the 1602 defence of Dunboy, the castle of Donnell O'Sullivan Beare, 'one of the most interesting episodes in Irish history'.

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Coat of arms associated with the O'Sullivan surname
Irish formÓ Súileabháin
Meaning'descendant of Súileabhán' (i.e., Súil-dubhán, black-eyed)
CountiesTipperary, Kerry, Cork
Other spellings3

Origin of the O'Sullivan name

Woulfe: a Munster family of the same stock as the MacCarthys and O'Callaghans. Their first patrimony lay along the Suir in Co. Tipperary, with their seat at Knockgraffon near Cahir. In 1192 the Anglo-Norman advance drove them to Cork and Kerry, where they split into O'Sullivan More, O'Sullivan Beare and other branches.[1]

  1. 1192Anglo-Norman advance drives the O'Sullivans from Tipperary to Cork and Kerry.[1]
  2. 1602Dunboy, Donnell O'Sullivan Beare's castle, taken after a 21-day defence.[3]
  3. 1603Donnell leads about 1,000 people north from Glengarriff; 35 reach Leitrim.[3]
  4. 1604Donnell O'Sullivan Beare sails into exile in Spain.[3]
  5. 1621Philip O'Sullivan Beare's 'Historiae Catholicae Iberniae Compendium' published at Lisbon.[4]

Where in Ireland

Co. TipperaryOriginal patrimony along the River Suir; principal seat at Knockgraffon, near Cahir, before 1192.[1]
Co. KerryO'Sullivan More held the barony of Dunkerron, castle near Kenmare. Kerry had 295 Sullivan births in 1890.[1][2]
Co. CorkO'Sullivan Beare held Beare and Bantry. Cork had 373 Sullivan births in 1890.[1][2]

Notable people named O'Sullivan

Donnell O'Sullivan Bearec. 1562–1618Lord of Dunboy; led his people's winter march to Leitrim in 1603; made Count of Bearhaven in Spain.[3]
Philip O'Sullivan Bearelate 16th century – ?Nephew of Donnell; served in the Spanish navy and wrote 'Historiae Catholicae Iberniae Compendium'.[4]

Other spellings

Sullivan · Sullevan · Soolivan[1]

The O'Sullivan coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the O'Sullivan surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

O'Sullivan crest gifts

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O'Sullivan surname: questions

What does O'Sullivan mean?

Woulfe gives Ó Súileabháin, 'descendant of Súileabhán', and explains the personal name as Súil-dubhán, 'black-eyed'.[1]

Are Sullivan and O'Sullivan the same name?

Yes. Woulfe lists O'Sullivan, Sullivan, Sullevan and Soolivan as English forms of Ó Súileabháin. In the 1890 birth indexes Matheson counted 839 Sullivan entries and, separately, 136 spelt O'Sullivan.[1][2][5]

Where in Ireland are the O'Sullivans from?

Woulfe says they were first seated at Knockgraffon in Co. Tipperary and moved in 1192 to the shores of Kenmare and Bantry bays in Kerry and Cork. In 1890 Sullivan births were found in every Munster county, with 373 in Cork and 295 in Kerry.[1][2]

Who was O'Sullivan Beare?

O'Sullivan Beare was the head of the branch that owned the territory of Beare. Donnell O'Sullivan Beare (born about 1562) held Dunboy in 1602, led his people north to Leitrim in January 1603 and sailed for Spain in 1604; Webb says he was assassinated in 1618, after fourteen years in exile.[1][3]

Sources

  1. Ó Súileabháin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/os/o-suileabhain.php
  2. Sullivan — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), birth indexes of 1890, transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/sullivan.php
  3. Donnell O'Sullivan Beare — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/DonnellOSullivanBeare.php
  4. Philip O'Sullivan Beare — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/PhilipOSullivanBeare.php
  5. O'Sullivan — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), birth indexes of 1890, transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/osullivan.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).