Liam
/ˈliːəm/
An Irish short form of William that has been #1 since 2017.
Irish · Uilliam, from William
An Irish short form of William. 20,818 boys were given the name in 2025, up from fewer than 1,000 a year before 1995.
Liam at a glance
What Liam means
The Irish short form of William — Uilliam, from William
Liam is a traditional Irish short form of Uilliam, the Irish version of William. William itself grew from two old Germanic words, one for will or desire and one for helmet, which is why the name is often explained as a protector with a strong will.
William crossed to England with the Normans after 1066 and became a favorite there. Liam stayed mostly an Irish habit for a long time: it has no recorded use before the seventeenth century and seems to have settled in only around 1900. Irish emigration in the mid-1800s carried it beyond Ireland, and it entered the English and Welsh charts in 1932 before turning into a favorite from about 1980.
The step from William to Liam happened in stages. After the Anglo-Norman arrival in Ireland in the twelfth century, William was borrowed into Irish as Uilliam, and a pet form, Uillec, later written Uilleag, is on record by the early fourteenth century. Liam, clipped shorter still, came later. English speakers today say it LEE-um.
In the Social Security files Liam first appears in 1947, but it stayed under 100 boys a year until 1978. It passed 1,000 in 1995, reached the top ten in 2012 and became the most popular boys’ name in the country in 2017. It has held that spot every year since 2017. It peaked at 22,252 in 2024, and in 2025 it is #1 with 20,818 boys.
Source and context
The word history and the English and Welsh chart facts come from Wikipedia, and every number about American babies from US Social Security data. We rewrite everything in our own words.
- Paragraph 1 Wikipedia: Liam, Wikipedia: William (given name)
- Paragraph 2 Wikipedia: William (given name), Wikipedia: Liam
- Paragraph 3 Wikipedia: Liam, Wikipedia: William (given name)
- Paragraph 4 US Social Security Administration
- Note Wikipedia: Liam
The numbers behind Liam
A look at the rankings over time and across places.
Liam at the top of the chart
How Liam ranks among boys’ names each year, 2015 to 2025. A lower number means more popular.
Liam’s rank climbed from #2 in 2015 to #1 in 2025, matching its best (first reached in 2017).
In babies the change is bigger than the rank suggests: 18,410 boys in 2015 and 20,818 in 2025, up 13%.
Key moments for Liam
- 1978First 100 boys
112 boys - 1994First top 500
#360 among boys · 668 boys - 1995Passed 1,000
1,206 boys · rank #239 - 2006First top 100
#98 among boys · 4,514 boys - 2012First top ten
#6 among boys · 16,824 boys - 2017First time at #1
#1 · 18,874 boys - 2024Most babies
22,252 boys · rank #1 - 2025Latest year
#1 among boys · 20,818 boys
Liam is strong across the country
Ranked by how popular Liam is among boys’ names in each state in 2025 (in-state rank, not births per head). Liam is the most popular boys’ name in 15 of the 51 places, among them California, Texas and Florida, and it is #2 in 17 more. It is in the top ten in 48 of the 51 places in the data, which is why most of the map is dark: Liam is strong almost everywhere, not just in a few places.
- 1Arizona#1
- 2Arkansas#1
- 3California#1
- 4Colorado#1
- 5Florida#1
- 6Georgia#1
- 7Illinois#1
- 8Maryland#1
Liam over the long run
Babies named Liam in the US each year, 1880 to 2025.
Rare until 1995,
then #1 since 2017.
First recorded in 1947. It passed 1,000 boys in 1995, reached 18,410 in 2015 and stood at 20,818 in 2025.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national baby name data, 1880–2025. Calculation: NameMochi.
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The story around Liam
Notable people and namesakes
Early and historical bearers include the Irish prime minister Liam Cosgrave (1920–2017) and the author Liam O’Flaherty (1896–1984). More recent bearers include the Northern Irish actor Liam Neeson (born 1952), the Oasis singer Liam Gallagher (born 1972), the Australian actor Liam Hemsworth (born 1990) and the English singer Liam Payne (1993–2024).
Names like Liam
Computed from the same Social Security data as the Name Finder: the names at the top today and names rising in the same way, plus the William family, which Liam comes from.
Compare names
Four names near the top of the chart: Liam (#1), Noah (#2), Oliver (#3), James (#6). One of them has lost ground since 2015.
| Name | Style | Latest rank | Change since 2015 | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liam | Irish · Two syllables · Modern classic | #1 | ↑ 1 place | Steady |
| Noah | Top-ranked favorite | #2 | ↓ 1 place | Steady |
| Oliver | Soft classic | #3 | ↑ 16 places | Rising |
| James | Timeless classic | #6 | ↑ 1 place | Slipping |
Change is the move in rank since 2015, so a name can climb in rank while fewer babies are given it.
Stage compares the number of babies named in 2025 with 2015 (rising or cooling at 25% or more, fast at 50% or more).
What draws people to Liam
- Short, strong and easy to say in many languages.Our view
- Irish roots with a long history behind them: the same name as William in a friendly short form.Our view
- Liam has held a place in the top 5 every year since 2013.From the data
- Almost entirely a boy’s name: 99.9% of babies named Liam are boys.From the data
- It pairs well with both short and long middle names.Our view
Things to consider
- Its rise is recent: 62% of all babies ever recorded as Liam in the US were born since 2015.From the data
- Very common: 20,818 boys in 2025. In a large school you may meet more than one Liam.Our view
- Spelling: Lyam was also given to 198 babies in 2025.From the data
Common questions about Liam
Is Liam a boy’s name or a girl’s name?
Liam is a boy’s name. In 2025, 20,818 boys were named Liam against 28 girls.
What does Liam mean?
Liam is a traditional Irish short form of Uilliam, the Irish version of William. William comes from Germanic words for will and helmet, so the name is often explained as a protector with a strong will.
How common is the name Liam?
Very common. In 2025, 20,846 American babies were named Liam, which ranks #1 among boys. It has been the single most popular boy’s name every year since 2017.
Is Liam still rising?
It peaked in 2024 with 22,252 boys and has eased since, to 20,818 in 2025. Over ten years it is still up 13%.
Who are some people named Liam?
Examples include the Irish prime minister Liam Cosgrave, the author Liam O’Flaherty, the actor Liam Neeson and the Oasis singer Liam Gallagher.
Liam began as an Irish short form of William. Explore more names in the Finder →
How these numbers are built
Sources → Calculations → Limitations
Sources
- The US Social Security Administration’s national and state baby name files, built from Social Security card applications for births in the United States.SSA baby name data
- Data year
- Births through 2025. New data arrives each May, and we recalculate this page then.
- Dates
- Published October 2026. Last updated October 2026.
- Word and history sources
- Word history, the chart facts for England and Wales, and the people who share the name come from reference works.Wikipedia: LiamWikipedia: William (given name)Wikipedia: Liam CosgraveWikipedia: Liam O’FlahertyWikipedia: Liam NeesonWikipedia: Liam GallagherWikipedia: Liam HemsworthWikipedia: Liam Payne
Calculations
- Ranks
- A rank is the name’s position among girls or among boys in the SSA file for that year (most babies = #1). Girls and boys are ranked separately.
- Counts
- Babies given exactly this spelling. Spelling variants are counted separately.
- Growth, peaks, milestones, shares and comparisons are calculated by NameMochi from those files.How NameMochi calculates
- Similar names
- Groups are computed from the same files: the names at the top today and names rising in the same way. Names are on the same gender side as this one, and spelling twins count once. Editorial groups are checked against the linked sources.
- Stat cards
- The five cards are the most informative facts available for this name, picked by a score and shown in a fixed order.
Limitations
- US births only. The files record the sex shown on the application, which says nothing about how a child later identifies. Names given to fewer than five babies in a year are left out.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Calculation: NameMochi.