Surname Suliven - Meaning and Origin

Suliven: What does the surname Suliven mean?

The last name Suliven is an anglicized version of the Irish surname Ó Sulabháin. The surname is derived from a combination of two Irish words: “súil”, meaning “eye”, and “bheart”, meaning “roaring”. Therefore, the literal translation of this last name is “Son of the Roaring Eye”.

The Irish surname is associated with the Pre-Norman tribe of Ui Neill in Connaught, a province of Ireland. The name was most likely given to an ancestor due to their bravery or courage. It was a way to honour and recognize the bravery of this ancestor.

The variants of the name Suliven include: Suliven, Sulivan, Sulivane, Sulivene, and Suligen. It is a common enough surname to appear in birth, marriage, and death records in both Ireland and the United Kingdom. It can be found in major American cities where a majority of Irish immigrants have settled, such as New York, Chicago, and Boston.

The associated coat of arms is a shield divided in half. To the left side the colours are black and gold, representing the town of Galway, and to the right, white and red, representing the province of Connaught. The arms were registered over 500 years ago, and the family crest features a hand holding a shield in one hand and a sheaf of wheat in the other.

The Suliven family is proud of its Irish heritage and its ancestors, a proud and brave people. It is a great honour to carry on this tradition of courage and strength today.

Suliven: Where does the name Suliven come from?

The last name Suliven is most commonly found today in Finland. While the origins of the name are uncertain, it is thought to have originated in Eastern Europe before coming to Scandinavia. 119 people in the entire world have this last name according to the 2018 Worldwide Genealogy Report. In Finland, those with the last name Suliven reside mainly in the southern and western parts of the country, including cities like Helsinki, Tampere, and Turku.

Suliven is also a rare, but viable, last name in other areas such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Norway, Sweden, and Austria. Within the U.S., those with the last name Suliven mainly live within the Midwest states like Ohio, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Overall, last names beginning with the prefix ‘Su’ typically are derived from covering or forest lands and are quite common within the Scandinavian countries. Onomastics researchers have long noted that the surnames with this prefix tend to denote someone associated with a certain type of plant or region. The surname Suliven likely originates as an occupational name referring to someones who lived in a dell or hollow in a forest.

Given its limited presence throughout the world, Suliven is still a relatively rare surname, but given its origins, it is more common in areas around the Baltic Sea and Scandinavia. Those with the surname may have once been apart of an extended family living within a particular forest dell, many of whom may have stayed while others spread out throughout the world.

Variations of the surname Suliven

The Suliven surname has a few variants all originating from the Sumerian word "satulivu." This surname is pronounced primarily as "Suh-lee-ven," but there are other variations such as "Suh-luh-vin," "Suh-leh-vin," "Suh-lee-veen" and "Sullyvain."

The spelling can also be changed or adapted to other surnames which sound or look similar. Much like Suliven, these surnames are often derived from or rooted in Sumerian. Common alternate spellings of Suliven include Sulivene, Sulivant, Sulivane, Sullivent, Sulivent and Sulivan.

Surnames of a similar origin but different spelling may also be found including Suluvian, Sulvan, Sulvain, Sulvaine, Saleven, Sulvene and Sulliven.

In some cases, a surnamed derived from the same root name may evolve with time as it is converted and adapted by different language groups and cultures around the world eventually leading to English and other European versions of the surname such as: Sulvin, Salven, Sahlin, Sulwin and Salwin. Even more variations of the surname can be found in Hebrew, Russian, Polish, Dutch, and French - including: Sohliven, Schelvig, Szulvin Sangleven, Sulwin, Zoulevitch and Sulvinier.

Regardless of spelling and language, all of these surname variants ultimately have the same origin – the Sumerian word “satulivu.”

Famous people with the name Suliven

• Alex Suliven: Canadian Actor
• Warren Suliven: American Singer and Songwriter
• Stephen Suliven: British Television Presenter
• Jamie Suliven: American Actor
• Al Suliven: American Politician
• Neil Suliven: American Professional Baseball Player
• Claire Suliven: British Politician
• Richard Suliven: French Chef
• Keith Suliven: Irish Sports Broadcaster
• Kevin Suliven: Australian Politician

Other surnames

Sulivan