Liam

Meaning: Will and helmet
Origin: Irish (from Germanic via Norman French) — Short form of Uilliam, the Irish form of William

Boy's name · #1 in the US (2025) · 2020s wave

Popularity over time

Liam reached its best rank, #1, in 2017 and still holds #1 today. It has spent 9 years as America's #1 name.

Liam first entered the US Top 10 in 2012. SSA suggested that Liam Neeson’s roles in films such as Battleship, Taken, The Chronicles of Narnia and Clash of the Titans may have helped its growing popularity.

Across the states

See where Liam is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 51 states, the #1 boy's name in 19 of them. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

Liam is especially popular in Ecuador, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

#2 in Ecuador (2025) · #2 in Netherlands (2025) · #2 in Switzerland (2025) · #2 in Puerto Rico (2025) · #3 in Sweden (2025) · #4 in Belgium (2025) · #5 in Philippines (2024) · #5 in Finland (other-lang.) (2025) · #7 in Ireland (2025) · #7 in Norway (2025) · #8 in Argentina (2025) · #9 in Mexico (2024) and 17 more.

Famous Liams

Liam Neeson — Actor from Northern Ireland (born 1952)
Liam Payne — English singer and songwriter (1993–2024)
Liam Hemsworth — Australian actor (born 1990)
Liam Gallagher — British singer
Liam Cunningham — Irish actor

In stories & tradition

Liam (Angel) — Angel (TV series)
Liam Spencer — The Bold and the Beautiful (TV series)
Liam Butcher — EastEnders (TV series)

What Liams become

Among 1,055 notable people named Liam:

Sports figures appear 2.95× more often than among typical names — e.g. Liam Lawson, New Zealand motor racing driver.

Twin names

A popular twin pairing with Liam is Logan for a boy.

Similar names: Sebastian · Oliver · Lucas · Henry · William · Lincoln

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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