NameCensus.

UK surname

Sully

A surname derived from the Old French word "soler", meaning an upper room or loft.

In the 1881 census there were 997 people recorded with the Sully surname, ranking it #3,910 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,178, ranked #5,047, down from #3,910 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Sampford Brett, Bicknoller, Stogumber and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Somerset, Newport and Taunton Deane.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sully is 1,240 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 18.2%.

1881 census count

997

Ranked #3,910

Modern count

1,178

2016, ranked #5,047

Peak year

1911

1,240 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sully had 997 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,910 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,178 in 2016, ranked #5,047.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,240 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Sully surname distribution map

The map shows where the Sully surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Sully surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sully over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 615 #4,197
1861 historical 610 #4,355
1881 historical 997 #3,910
1891 historical 1,035 #4,033
1901 historical 1,160 #4,206
1911 historical 1,240 #3,819
1997 modern 1,176 #4,801
1998 modern 1,221 #4,817
1999 modern 1,218 #4,856
2000 modern 1,226 #4,804
2001 modern 1,188 #4,832
2002 modern 1,218 #4,844
2003 modern 1,187 #4,855
2004 modern 1,179 #4,881
2005 modern 1,182 #4,824
2006 modern 1,167 #4,885
2007 modern 1,175 #4,900
2008 modern 1,156 #4,988
2009 modern 1,152 #5,127
2010 modern 1,189 #5,090
2011 modern 1,203 #4,960
2012 modern 1,156 #5,066
2013 modern 1,178 #5,075
2014 modern 1,193 #5,046
2015 modern 1,182 #5,039
2016 modern 1,178 #5,047

Geography

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Where Sullys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Sampford Brett, Bicknoller, Stogumber, London parishes, St Decuman, Nettlecombe, Old Cleeve, Kilton, Lilstock, Dodington, Stringston, Holford and St Matthew Bethnal Green. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to West Somerset, Newport and Taunton Deane. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Sampford Brett, Bicknoller, Stogumber Somerset
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Decuman, Nettlecombe, Old Cleeve, Kilton, Lilstock, Dodington, Stringston, Holford Somerset
5 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Somerset 003 West Somerset
2 West Somerset 001 West Somerset
3 West Somerset 005 West Somerset
4 Newport 019 Newport
5 Taunton Deane 004 Taunton Deane

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sully

These lists show first names that appear often with the Sully surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sully

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Sully, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Sully surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Sully household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Sully is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Sully is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sully falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Sully is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Sully, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Sully

The surname Sully originated in France, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have been derived from the Old French word "souille," which means "mud" or "swamp." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a marshy or muddy area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sully can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name is listed as "Suilli," which is thought to be an early spelling variation.

In the 12th century, a notable figure named Henri de Sully (c. 1135-1195) was the Bishop of Le Mans and later the Archbishop of Bourges in France. He played a significant role in the construction of the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The surname Sully gained further prominence in the 16th century with Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully (1560-1641), who served as a trusted minister and advisor to King Henry IV of France. He was known for his military prowess, financial reforms, and memoirs detailing his life and service to the king.

Another notable individual with the surname Sully was Thomas Sully (1783-1872), an American portrait painter of English descent. He is renowned for his lifelike portraiture of distinguished figures, including Thomas Jefferson and Queen Victoria.

In the 20th century, James Sully (1842-1923), a British psychologist and philosopher, made significant contributions to the field of child psychology with his studies on the development of children's minds and their sense of humor.

The surname Sully has also been associated with various place names, such as Sully-sur-Loire, a commune in the Loiret department of north-central France, and Sully County, located in South Dakota, United States, which was named after Alfred Sully, a military officer during the American Civil War.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sully families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sully surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Somerset leads with 461 Sullys recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.36x.

County Total Index
Somerset 461 29.36x
Middlesex 158 1.62x
Surrey 62 1.30x
Gloucestershire 55 2.87x
Monmouthshire 55 7.80x
Devon 36 1.77x
Kent 30 0.90x
Glamorgan 20 1.18x
Essex 15 0.78x
Lancashire 13 0.11x
Nottinghamshire 12 0.91x
Hampshire 11 0.55x
Sussex 11 0.67x
Derbyshire 10 0.65x
Cheshire 8 0.37x
Northamptonshire 6 0.65x
Wiltshire 6 0.70x
Angus 5 0.55x
Warwickshire 4 0.16x
Herefordshire 3 0.75x
Hertfordshire 3 0.45x
Worcestershire 3 0.24x
Midlothian 2 0.15x
Royal Navy 2 1.72x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.17x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.16x
Cornwall 1 0.09x
Dorset 1 0.16x
Leicestershire 1 0.09x
Norfolk 1 0.07x
Northumberland 1 0.07x
Yorkshire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bethnal Green London in Middlesex leads with 57 Sullys recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.45x.

Place Total Index
Bethnal Green London 57 13.45x
Stogumber 36 867.47x
St Decumans Watchet 31 780.86x
Williton 31 589.35x
Bedminster 29 19.65x
Bridgewater 26 60.99x
Old Cleeve 24 427.81x
St Woollos 23 29.22x
Lambeth 19 2.23x
Taunton St Mary 19 65.93x
Newington 18 5.00x
West Bagborough 18 1132.08x
Wiveliscombe 17 194.29x
Bristol St Paul In 13 25.51x
Taunton St James 13 56.77x
Walcot 13 15.54x
Wembdon 13 280.17x
West Ham 11 2.59x
Withycombe 11 1182.80x
Clapham 10 8.20x
Wentllooge St Bride 10 1190.48x
Brighton 9 2.71x
Kensington London 9 1.66x
Mamhead 9 1363.64x
Newport 9 26.75x
Nottingham St Mary 9 2.65x
Sampford Brett 9 1250.00x
Shoreditch London 9 2.13x
Stogursey 9 213.78x
Tolland 9 2000.00x
Wellington 9 42.27x
Banwell 8 139.62x
Chiswick 8 15.01x
Clase 8 12.67x
Gloucester St Michael 8 182.65x
Hammersmith London 8 3.33x
Milverton 8 138.17x
Tiverton 8 22.87x
Badgworth 7 744.68x
Ilton 7 479.45x
Kingston On Thames 7 6.13x
Lewisham 7 3.94x
Lyncombe Widcombe 7 17.03x
Matlock 7 34.13x
Mile End New Town 7 52.55x
Morebath 7 472.97x
Newton In Makerfield 7 19.75x
Paddington London 7 1.95x
Ventnor 7 36.80x
West Quantoxhead 7 752.69x
Bristol St Augustine 6 19.44x
Cardiff St John 6 10.81x
Clerkenwell London 6 2.61x
Clifton 6 6.20x
Little Bowden 6 186.92x
St Bartholomew Great 6 67.57x
St Sepulchre London 6 42.02x
Yeovil 6 18.80x
Backwell 5 155.28x
Bathwick 5 28.77x
Bishops Lydeard 5 124.69x
Deptford St Paul 5 1.95x
Dulverton 5 108.70x
Dundee 5 1.48x
Enmore 5 526.32x
Lympne 5 265.96x
Monks Coppenhall 5 6.15x
Monmouth 5 26.74x
St Decumans 5 331.13x
Walmer 5 34.55x
Westbury On Trym 5 7.71x
Weston Super Mare 5 12.61x
Broadway 4 263.16x
Cardiff St Mary 4 4.28x
Chepstow 4 33.31x
Hampstead London 4 2.63x
Henbury 4 42.83x
Kingston 4 126.58x
Wedmore 4 39.14x
Welsh Bicknor 3 857.14x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Sully surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 61
Elizabeth 51
Sarah 48
Ann 23
Jane 22
Alice 20
Eliza 19
Emma 16
Emily 14
Louisa 12
Clara 10
Ellen 10
Annie 9
Martha 9
Edith 7
Eva 7
Charlotte 6
Florence 6
Susan 6
Ada 5
Frances 5
Harriet 5
Anna 4
Bessie 4
Caroline 4
Elizth. 4
Fanny 4
Hannah 4
Jessie 4
Lucy 4
Maria 4
Agnes 3
Catherine 3
Esther 3
Florance 3
Grace 3
Jemima 3
Margaret 3
Selina 3
Amy 2
Anne 2
Bertha 2
Ethel 2
Francis 2
Harriett 2
Henrietta 2
Lena 2
Margt. 2
Mildred 2
Minnie 2

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Sully surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 70
John 50
George 33
James 33
Charles 27
Thomas 26
Henry 21
Samuel 13
Albert 12
Alfred 11
Frederick 11
Walter 11
Robert 10
Edward 9
Ernest 8
Joseph 8
Edwin 6
Richard 6
Frank 5
Benjamin 4
Francis 4
Herbert 4
Wm. 4
Arthur 3
Harry 3
Willie 3
Eli 2
Fred 2
Fredrick 2
Geo. 2
Isaac 2
Joel 2
Percy 2
Peter 2
Philip 2
Andrew 1
Caleb 1
Calub 1
Chas.Wm. 1
Christopher 1
Edmd. 1
Edmund 1
Eugenie 1
Firmager 1
Helena 1
Henery 1
Horace 1
Jas. 1
Jas.W. 1
Joal 1

FAQ

Sully surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sully surname in 1881?

In 1881, 997 people were recorded with the Sully surname. That placed it at #3,910 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sully surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,178 in 2016. That gives Sully a modern rank of #5,047.

What does the Sully surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old French word "soler", meaning an upper room or loft.

What does the Sully map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Sully bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.