The baby name Liam has held the top spot in the US for six years and counting. Not bad for a name nearly unknown on these shores before the 1970s.
Thanks to Melissa for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WILLIAM
William conquered England in 1066 with the Norman Conquest. His name came along, and then traveled to Ireland. Spellings included William and Uilleam and plenty of others, too.
The meaning is clear, if rather strongly Germanic. It comes from will – literally will or desire, combined with helm. That second part means helmet, but implies protection. That’s why you’ll see meanings like “strong-willed warrior.” They’re not exactly wrong, but maybe a little poetic.
The name William has been a classic for generations, worn by everyone from Shakespeare to the current Prince of Wales, rapper will.i.am and actor William Shatner. Dozens more answer to Billy or Bill.
It is also possible that the last two syllables were lopped off early and used as a nickname for centuries, but it’s hard to trace.
An oft-repeated claim: William of Gellone, Duke of Toulouse at the turn of the ninth century, was known as Liam. Possibly. But the nobleman’s life was the basis for the romantic poem, the Chanson de Guillaume, which dates to the 1100s. Separating fact from fiction isn’t always easy.
What we know is that Liam rarely appears as an independent name until far more recently.
The first year it debuts in US Social Security Administration data is 1947. Compared to William’s long record of use, that’s almost yesterday.
A handful of notable men by the name are found in the history books and pop culture, including a prime minister of Ireland in the 1970s and one of the internationally successful folk group, the Clancy Brothers.
But Liam’s story is really far more recent.
BRIAN, RYAN, KEVIN … and NEESON
By the 1960s, the first wave of Irish import names had raced up the charts. Kevin and Brian led the way, with Ryan close behind. While Patrick has always appeared in the boy’s popularity chart in the US, Sean first ranked in the year 1943.
Like many a name of Irish origin, they all became standard, even traditional choices for a boy born in the US, and many ranked among the. most popular baby names.
Liam entered the US Top 1000 in 1974, but it took some time for the name to catch on.
Much of the credit goes to Irish actor Liam Neeson, known for action roles as well as serious, Oscar-worthy performances. He became a household name in 1993, playing the title role in Schindler’s List, and his given name jumped nearly 200 places in the US rankings.
By the time Neeson played a Jedi Knight in the first installment of the Star Wars prequel trilogy in 1999, the name ranked in the Top 150. As the star turned in more and more blockbuster performances, the name continued to gain.
Another headline-making Liam from the 1990s? English singer Liam Gallagher, frontman of Oasis.
21st CENTURY POPULARITY
By 2006, the name Liam finally reached the US Top 100.
One year later, actor-turned-reality TV personality Tori Spelling chose the baby name Liam for her firstborn. She chronicled much of his early life on her reality shows with husband Dean McDermott.
In 2008, the rebooted version of 90210 – the show that made Tori a star – included a character by the name. Lost did, too. And then came 2011’s Teen Wolf, which introduced a werewolf by the name in a later season.
Australian actor Liam Hemsworth – born in 1990 – raised the name’s profile, too. Among other favorites, he starred as Gale in the Hunger Games franchise.
And it’s tough to overstate the impact of boy band One Direction, who became international sensations in 2011 – while still in their teens. One Direction member Liam Payne, has since embarked on a successful solo career, just like Zayn, Louis, Niall, and, of course, Harry.
TOP OF THE CHARTS
All of this puts the baby name Liam at the intersection. It’s part-classic William, part-Irish charmer, and part-pop culture sensation.
No surprise it climbed into the US Top Ten in 2012.
But there’s one more factor that helped take it to #1.
The name appeals – in serious numbers – to Spanish-speaking parents, too.
BabyCenter en Español’s reports that the baby name Liam sits at #3, right behind more conventionally Spanish choices Mateo and Santiago. Given how many families speak Spanish in the US, it’s tough to imagine a #1 name that doesn’t appeal across both languages.
Also noteworthy: Liam is a popular baby boy name in Belgium and France, Sweden and Germany, as well as other parts of Europe, as well as the English and Spanish-speaking parts of the world. Argentina, Switzerland, Spain, Scotland, Canada – Liam is a popular across languages and borders.
While some expectant parents in every case likely chose Liam as an Irish version of William, the name is clearly bigger than that now. Another factor: unlike Irish export Aiden, it’s difficult to re-spell Liam. Lyam doesn’t seem phoentically correct, and doubling the letters or adding more – Lliam? Liamm? Bliam? – is either confusing or not terribly appealing, not in the way that Aydin and Jayden and Braden have proven.
That organic limit on creativity makes Liam’s popularity more obvious, as the name hasn’t splintered into a half-a-dozen rival variations.
UPBEAT AND UPDATED
The baby name Liam offers an upbeat, charming sound. It’s modern but with roots, and feels like an Irish heritage pick and an international traveler.
The name’s only drawback is that plenty of parents have discovered this name’s considerable appeal. But with potential as an English-Spanish crossover and an internationally-known name, this updated classic might be good enough to share.
What do you think of the baby name Liam?
The original version of this post was published on September 24, 2010. It was substantially revised and reposted on October 10, 2016; November 22, 2020; and April 29, 2024.
Liam
upbeat favorite
A name that’s both very Irish and effortlessly international, Liam has held the top spot in the US for six years running.
Popularity
#1 as of 2022
Trend
holding steady
Origin
An Irish short form of Germanic William, which means “desire” and “protection.” Only caught on outside of Ireland in the twentieth century.
I love Liam. I had a Great Uncle Liam growing up whom I have extremely fond memories of. I was sorely tempted to use Liam for our son but didn’t in the end. Not quite right with our surname.
My husband is the fifth William in his [recent] family, so we’ve been planning for years to name our son William and call him Liam. This year my cousin named her new son Liam. *sigh* I’m really against family members reusing the same names, but there’s no way we’re changing our minds. It’s *the* perfect name for us, and I love it. I’m just so angry with her for using it first. The name isn’t too common in our area, so I wasn’t worried about running into a lot of Liams, but now there’s one in the family whom we will see at every family gathering. UGH.
Anyway, I’d first heard it on Neeson, then Gallagher. I’d always liked the sound and feel of it, then I married a William, so it was an obvious pick for us. 🙂
It would be nearly impossible to fight that kind of family name tradition, Panya! Alexander is wildly popular, too, but we were in the same boat – no way was my husband naming his firstborn son, the first grandson, anything other than Alexander.
I’ve found that when you have SUCH a compelling reason to use a name, it doesn’t matter how popular it is.
This was my first favorite boy’s name (along with Rowan), and my crush on it lasted about five years. There was a little boy in my class that year with the name who always told tall tales about himself (he could drive a car, he had a talking cat) — I immediately think of him when I hear it.
Also, I was really surprised when the list came out and I saw William had become so popular — but maybe Liam could be the reason why!
OOO … I love Liam. Its on the list, but I didnt know it was so trendy, that kinda lessens its appeal for me . I guess I like his brevity and cross the Atlantic charm.
Liam is crazy popular here in Western Canada. It’s sitting at #2 in British Columbia where I live, and is pretty high on the charts in many of the other provinces. I think it’s a pleasant name, but it’s not to my taste and I’m not quite sure what makes it so extremely popular.
My niece has a half-brother named Liam. While I’m sure he’s a lovely child, I can’t stand my brother’s ex-wife, so that association taints the name.
I love Liam, but that’s primarily because I have a great personal association with an old friend from Belfast.
Regarding the mega popularity of Irish names, I do think it’s amusing considering the history of Irish immigrants in the U.S. Not so very long ago, they were looked down upon as (to put it lightly) the less-than-ideal immigrant. Now, if someone is even 1/16th Irish, they can be seen scrambling for an Irish name to bestow and show off that Irish heritage. Funny how times change.
It makes me wonder if in 20 – 40 years we’ll be seeing a similar trend with Hispanic names. Will people with Polish and Irish surnames suddenly be digging through their heritage to find a tiny bit of Mexican lineage?
LOL, Kelleita that is a GREAT point! If we have Aidan Greenblatt in 2010, maybe he will be naming his kiddo Diego.
And hey, we already have kids with names like Isabella Murphy …
I really dislike Liam, always have, don’t know why.
I’m with you; I hate Liam but love Will.
BTW, I think Calista Flockhart’s adopted son Liam raised the profile of Liam as a baby name far sooner than Tori (ick) Spelling.
Of course, Joy! And that was 2001 … more influential than Tori and Dean.
I really like Liam – he just seems so friendly.
The name was on my baby name list in 2005 – though we ended up with a girl and my husband wasn’t keen on Liam anyway.
I did grow up (in the UK) with a friend my age who had an older brother called Liam. The brothers were Dam!en, L!am, A!den and T!mothy – born in the late 70s mainly, I guess. I’m totally impressed with the name set, now that I’m all ‘name nerdy’.
We didn’t revisit Liam when we did have a son. These days I’d probably be more likely to put William on the birth certificate and then just use Liam as a nickname. After all, Rose, Henry and William would make a more ‘formal’ set of siblings.
I love Liam, but it is insanely popular where I live, along with Ethan and Aidan, so I don’t think I could bring myself to use it. I suspect the short and sweet yet solid sound of it is what appeals to many parents; I think the similar-sounding Leo is rising in popularity for the same reason.