Irish surname
Descendant of Suileabhain
Clan or community name
O’Sullivan (Ó Súilleabháin) means 'descendant of Súileabhán', a personal name probably meaning 'little dark-eyed one'. The O’Sullivans were a powerful Munster family, originally centered in County Tipperary but later dominant in the Beara peninsula of County Cork and Kerry.
They were known for their resistance to English rule in the 16th and 17th centuries. The surname is now one of the most common in Ireland and is widely found in the United States, Australia, and Britain. The 'O' prefix has been retained more consistently than with many other Irish names.
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Descendant of Suileabhain. Suileabhain is traditionally glossed as "one-eyed" or "hawk-eyed", from Irish "suil" (eye).
OSullivan is a Irish-origin surname. Popularity varies widely by country and region, and the same surname can be common in one place and rare in another.
Yes. Surnames, especially occupational and descriptive ones like this, were often adopted independently by many unrelated families who happened to share a trade, appearance, or location.
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