Cullen is a surname of Gaelic origin. It is thought to be derived from the pre 8th century Old Gaelic name O' Cuileannain, with the prefix O' indicating a male descendant of, plus the personal byname Cuilleannain. The name seems to be related to Cullinane. While Cullen is encountered primarily in Dublin and southeast Ireland, Cullinan/Cullinane used almost exclusively in western Ireland on a North-South-Axis from Galway to Cork. A distribution map of the name has been processed on a genealogy site.
A Cullenite is a follower of any man named Cullen. Notable Cullens to have followers referred to as Cullenites include Scottish physician William Cullen and particularly Paul Cardinal Cullen, archbishop of Dublin and the first cardinal from Ireland. Notable Cullenites who followed Cardinal Cullen included George Joseph Plunket Browne, Bishop of Elphin, and Patrick Francis Moran, archbishop of Sidney and the first cardinal from Australia; indeed, "Cullenite" is used as an adjective in the phrases "Cullenite network" (used to describe a group of bishops who had been students of or were related to Cardinal Cullen, and many of whom became highly influential in the churches of Australia and New Zealand) and "the Cullenite church", used to describe the Irish church until the 1960, a church strongly allied to the "rural bourgeoisie" and the rising class of what are called "strong-farmers".
Adam Cullen, Australian artistAlexander Lamb Cullen (1920–2013), British electrical engineerAlice Cullen, UK politicianAndrew Cullen, Irish pirate, brother of Pierce Cullen, one of Philip Roche's crewArchibald Howard Cullen, former bishop of Grahamstown, South AfricaBill Cullen, American game show hostBill Cullen, Irish businessman and philanthropistBrett Cullen, American actorBud Cullen, Canadian Federal Court judgeCharles Cullen, former nurse and convicted serial killerChristian Cullen, New Zealand rugby union playerCountee Cullen, African American poet of the Harlem RenaissanceDan Cullen, Australian cricketerEdgar M. Cullen, Chief Judge of the NY Court of Appeals 1904–1913Eric Cullen, Scottish comedy actorGeoff Cullen (born 1977), Australian cricketerGordon Cullen CBE, English architectHugh Roy Cullen, independent Houston oil man and philanthropistJack Cullen, American baseball pitcherJames Cullen, described Cullen numbersJames Cullen, founder of the Pioneer Total Abstinence AssociationJames P. Cullen, US brigadier generalJoe Cullen, defensive line coach for the Jacksonville JaguarsJoe Cullen (darts player) (born 1989), English darts playerJohn Cullen, several peopleJonathan Cullen, English actorJoseph Cullen, Australian politicianLeo Cullen, Irish rugby union playerMatt Cullen, NHL hockey playerMartin Cullen, Irish politicianMaurice Cullen, English boxerMichael Cullen, several peopleMick Cullen, Scottish footballerMortimer A. Cullen (1891–1954), New York politicianNathan Cullen, Canadian Member of ParliamentJohn Michael Cullen, Australian ornithologistJohn Paul Cullen, photographerPaul Cullen, 19th-century Irish cardinalPaul Cullen, Well known NZ contemporary ArtistPaul Cullen, rugby league coachPeter Cullen, voice actor most famous as Optimus Prime from TransformersPierce Cullen, Irish pirate, brother of Andrew Cullen, one of Philip Roche's crewRobert Cullen, Irish-Japanese football (soccer) playerSarah Cullen, British television journalistSeán Cullen, Canadian comedianThomas H. Cullen, United States RepresentativeTim Cullen, United States baseball playerTimothy Cullen, Wisconsin State SenateTina Cullen, English field hockey playerWilliam Cullen, 18th-century Scottish doctor and chemistWilliam Cullen, Baron Cullen of Whitekirk (born 1935), Lord President of Scotland's Court of Session