Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Liam

Say it LEE-um 2 syllables

Irish · from William, “will + helmet”

Loved across three Canadian provinces, the Netherlands, Sweden, and 7 more places. Common across France, the UK, Italy, and 17 more places.

1 in 76 boys born in Ireland in 2025. Number 7 there.

Liam in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 12, common in 22, rare in 0.
Liam in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales68 (up)20257631 in 356792020
Scotland51 (down)2025811 in 242342020
Northern Ireland44 (up)2025431 in 193592020
Ireland720253131 in 7672020
North America
Ontario (province)22024629about 1 in 9522019
Quebec (province)3 (down)2025484about 1 in 6012020
British Columbia (province)4 (down)2023179about 1 in 7312018
Nova Scotia (province)16 (down)20252072020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)15 (down)202525262020
Victoria (state)23 (down)2025198142020
Queensland (state)32 (down)2025132252020
South Australia (state)29 (down)202545132020
New Zealand19 (down)2025117182020
Western Europe
France14 (down)20252,3651 in 128122020
Netherlands2 (up)2025723about 1 in 9232020
Central Europe
Austria20 (up)20253401 in 112322020
Switzerland220253411 in 10622020
Berlin (city)3 (up)2023180about 1 in 86172018
Munich (city)13 (up)202558about 1 in 75342020
Cologne (city)5 (up)202363about 1 in 101172018
Bonn (city)13 (up)202524about 1 in 132222020
Leipzig (city)9 (up)202527about 1 in 107122020
Rostock (city)11 (up)20259about 1 in 116162020
Nordic countries
Norway7 (down)20253141 in 7452020
Sweden3 (up)2025570about 1 in 7642020
Denmark26 (down)2025255222020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
Spain16 (up)20241,399392019
Catalonia (region)17 (down)20252571 in 81122020
Italy30 (up)20241,2641 in 150482019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland72 (up)20253171 in 3991402020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Slovenia12 (down)2025112about 1 in 6572020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
Croatia322025143No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
Israel (published as ליאם)36 (up)2024539about 1 in 158492019
Latin America
Argentina8 (new in the list)20245,034Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. Israel publishes names in Hebrew script; the original is shown beside the name. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Liam began as an Irish clipping of Uilliam, the Irish form of William. The meaning therefore belongs to William, which is built from Germanic words for 'will' and 'helmet'. What was once a pet form now stands entirely on its own.

2 more paragraphs

It is a quick, gentle name of two syllables, said LEE-um. The accented spelling Líam also appears, and related forms include Uilliam, Lliam and Wiliam, as well as William itself.

Few names have travelled as well in recent years. Liam sits near the top of the lists across Canada, in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, and it is just as popular in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden. In France it is a young name, first given in the 1980s and peaking only recently, so it reads as modern while resting on a very old base.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
LEE-um · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
from William, “will + helmet”
Origin
Irish
Spellings counted
Counted together with Liam here: Líam.
Related names
William, Bill, Lian, Uilliam, Lliam, Wiliam
Where Liam comes from (Wiktionary)

From Irish Liam, a clipping of Uilliam, itself from English William.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Liam. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Liam over time

Rising in 6 of the 32 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 4. Peak in France: 2016.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Liam in England and Wales: #10 in 1996, and #68 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #10, 5,802 boys1997: #15, 4,743 boys1998: #24, 3,486 boys1999: #17, 4,350 boys2000: #19, 3,825 boys2001: #24, 2,901 boys2002: #23, 2,927 boys2003: #29, 2,683 boys2004: #30, 2,533 boys2005: #28, 2,390 boys2006: #32, 2,063 boys2007: #27, 2,401 boys2008: #22, 2,986 boys2009: #24, 2,784 boys2010: #33, 2,253 boys2011: #44, 1,690 boys2012: #50, 1,374 boys2013: #67, 973 boys2014: #76, 902 boys2015: #81, 836 boys2016: #97, 698 boys2017: #91, 723 boys2018: #85, 731 boys2019: #74, 798 boys2020: #79, 721 boys2021: #86, 690 boys2022: #76, 735 boys2023: #71, 735 boys2024: #70, 749 boys2025: #68, 763 boyspeak #10, 1996#68in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996105,802
1997154,743
1998243,486
1999174,350
2000193,825
2001242,901
2002232,927
2003292,683
2004302,533
2005282,390
2006322,063
2007272,401
2008222,986
2009242,784
2010332,253
2011441,690
2012501,374
201367973
201476902
201581836
201697698
201791723
201885731
201974798
202079721
202186690
202276735
202371735
202470749
202568763

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in France

Half of the boys named Liam in France since 1925 were born in or after 2017. Peak: 2016, about 993 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 0 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 0 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 0 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 0 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 0 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 0 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 0 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 0 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 0 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 0 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 0 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 0 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 1.5 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 2.4 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 26.8 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 101.5 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 184.5 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 550.8 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 920.8 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 792.4 per 100,000 boys20202025: 781.3 per 100,000 boys20252015-2019: about 1 in 109 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19290
1930–19340
1935–19390
1940–19440
1945–19490
1950–19540
1955–19590
1960–19640
1965–19690
1970–19740
1975–19790
1980–19840
1985–19891.5
1990–19942.4
1995–199926.8
2000–2004101.5
2005–2009184.5
2010–2014550.8
2015–2019920.8
2020–2024792.4
2025781.3

Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Liam

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Liam, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 97, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 83, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 46, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 913, England and Wales

  6. 1 in 83, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 67, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 67, Northern Ireland

  9. 1 in 202, Northern Ireland

  10. 1 in 113, England and Wales

All 40 brother names for Liam

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Liam's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 50, Ireland

  3. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 130, Scotland

  6. 1 in 62, Poland

  7. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

Liam Oliver

Syllables 2-3Initials L.O.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Liam

Sisters for Liam: Ava, Amelia, Sofia, and 5 more
  1. AvaRose and fell with Liam · Same generation as Liam
  2. AmeliaRose and fell with Liam · Same generation as Liam
  3. SofiaRose and fell with Liam · Same generation as Liam
  4. MiaRose and fell with Liam · Same generation as Liam
  5. KiaraRose and fell with Liam · Same generation as Liam
  6. MilaRose and fell with Liam · Same generation as Liam
  7. EmmaRose and fell with Liam · As common as Liam
  8. EllaRose and fell with Liam · Same generation as Liam

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Liam

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Liam's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Loved across France, the UK, Canada, and 19 more places.

  2. Common across France, the UK, three Nordic countries, and 11 more places.

  3. Loved across the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and 7 more places.

  4. Common across three Canadian provinces, Israel, Sweden, and 10 more places.

  5. Common across the UK, Italy, Poland, and 19 more places.

  6. Loved across France, the UK, Canada, and 16 more places.

  7. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 16 more places.

  8. Common across France, the UK, three Canadian provinces, and 8 more places.

Famous people named Liam

Liam Payne, Liam Hemsworth, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Liam

How popular is Liam in Ontario?

Liam ranked #2 in Ontario in 2024, given to 629 boys, about 1 in 95.

Is Liam rising in popularity?

In some places: it is rising in more of them than it is falling. Rising in 6 of the 32 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 4. Rising in: Poland, Spain, Munich, Italy, Berlin, and 1 other region.

What does Liam mean?

Liam comes from William, which means “will + helmet”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Liam have?

Liam has 2 syllables: LEE-um.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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