Liam

Boy · Germanic, through Irish

Liam

Say it: LEE-um

Try it with your surname

Meaning

An Irish short form of Uilliam (William): Germanic wil 'will, desire' + helm 'helmet, protection'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

Common in Ireland from the 20th century, it became the top US boys' name in 2017.

Its wave through time

Popular now

In the United States

253,444 babies given this name since 1947
At its height in 2020, about 1 in 87 boys
19,690 babies in 2020

Through the ages

The Modern Age1880 to today

Used by

Irish American English

The family of the name

Irish	Uilliam
English	William

Famous bearers

Liam Neeson, Northern Irish actor

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OscarBoyPopularized by Macpherson's Ossian poems; the Irish original is uncertain, perhaps os 'deer' and cara 'friend'.Revolutions · peak 1882

LamarBoyFrom a French surname meaning 'the pond' (la mare).Modern · peak 1989

LamontBoyFrom a Scottish surname derived from Old Norse lǫgmaðr 'lawman'.Modern · peak 1972 · forgotten

Where this comes from

National birth statistics of European countries source
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.