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Liam

Irish short form of William
"resolute protection"
Madison Dresler
By Madison Dresler
Updated Mon Sep 02 2024

Liam Origin and Meaning

The name Liam is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "resolute protection".

Liam is the top boys' name in the US, holding the Number 1 spot for the past seven years and also ranking as one of the most popular boys' names around the western world.

Liam originated as a short form of Uilliam, the Irish variation of William. William is an English name from Germanic roots that was brought to Ireland when the British fled England following the Norman Conquest. The Irish began using English names, including William, which led to the development of Uilliam and its short form, Liam.

Internationally, Liam is enjoying great popularity not only in the U.S. and its native Ireland, but in countries as diverse as Italy and Israel, Chile and Croatia. If you're looking for a boys' name that will easily translate across many languages and cultures, you can't do better than Liam.

Irish-born actor Liam Neeson was instrumental in driving Liam up the charts, as was former Oasis member Liam (born William) Gallagher, and, more recently, One Direction member Liam Payne. Celebrities who have chosen Liam for their sons include Tori Spelling, Calista Flockhart, Rod Stewart, Kevin Costner and Craig Ferguson.

Jaunty and richly textured, Liam holds solidly to the title of most popular boys' name starting with the letter L.

# 1 in the US

Liam Rank in US Top 1000

# 26 on Nameberry

Liam Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Liam Popularity

Famous People Named Liam

  • Liam John NeesonIrish actor
  • Liam HemsworthAustralian actor
  • Liam James PayneEnglish singer of group One Direction
  • Liam Cosgraveformer Taoiseach (Prime Minister of Ireland)
  • Liam FoxBritish politician; former Secretary of State for Defense
  • Liam BradyIrish footballer
  • Liam Padraic AikenAmerican actor
  • Liam CunninghamIrish actor
  • Liam DrydenScottish internet personality, actor, and musician
  • William John Paul "Liam" GallagherEnglish singer
  • Liam JamesCanadian actor
  • Liam Lynch (born William Patrick Niederst)American musician and writer
  • Liam AylwardIrish politician
  • Liam Dominic ByrneBritish politician
  • Liam McIntyreAustralian actor
  • Liam Christopher O'BrienAmerican actor
  • Liam O'FlahertyIrish novelist
  • William "Liam" ClancyIrish folk singer
  • Liam Mullane FinnNew Zealand singer,songwriter
  • Liam GarriganEnglish actor
  • Liam HowlettEnglish composer, DJ, and record producer
  • Liam Patrick McKennaIrish singer and TV personality
  • Liam Thomas O'DonnellAmerican actor
  • Liam Kyle SullivanAmerican comedian, actor, and musician
  • Liam JonesAustralian rules footballer
  • Liam Waite (born Liam Owen East)American actor
  • Liam Andrew WrightEnglish film director
  • Liam WilsonAmerican bassist
  • Liam Walker Dunaway O'Neill (b. 1980)son of actress Faye Dunaway
  • Liam McAlister Stewart (b. 1994)son of singer Rod Stewart
  • Liam Timothy Costner (b. 1996)son of actor Kevin Costner and Bridget Rooney
  • Liam Flockhart (b. 2001)son of actors Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford
  • Liam Erixon (b. 2002)son of singer Jessica Andersson and Jonas Erixon
  • Liam Golan (b. 2003)son of singer Eyal Golan and beauty queen Ilanit Levi
  • Liam Aaron McDermott (b. 2007)son of actors Tori Spelling & Dean McDermott
  • Liam Lucca (adopted 2007)son of singer Tony Lucca
  • Liam Knight (b. 2008)son of actor Wayne Knight
  • Liam Allen Peterson (b. 2010)son of TV personalities Emily McKenzie and Daniel Peterson of "16 and Pregnant"
  • Liam James Ferguson (b. 2011)son of TV personality Craig Ferguson
  • Liam Weatherly (b. 2013)son of actor Michael Weatherly
  • Liam ChoupoMoting (b. 2013), son of footballer Eric Maxim Choupo,Moting
  • Liam da Silva (b. 2015)son of footballer Marcelo
  • Liam Paiffy (b. 2016) son of actors Erica Durance and David Paiffy
  • Liam Henri HartmutPrince of Nassau (b.2016), son of Prince Félix and Princess Claire of Luxembourg.
  • Liam Parker (b. 2016)son of French pro basketball player Tony Parker
  • Liam James Tell (b.2017)son of personality Lauren Conrad.
  • Liam Patrick HeneghanYouTube gamer
  • Liam Charles Antetokounmpo (b. 2020)son of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Mariah Riddlesprigger

Liam in Pop Culture

  • Liam Stewartcharacter in Alexandra Bracken's series "The Darkest Minds"
  • Liam Lupocharacter on TV's "Switched at Birth"
  • Liambirth name of Angel, character on TV's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel"
  • Liam Fergus Beircheart Gallaghercharacter on TV's "Shameless"
  • Liam Moorecharacter on TV's "Crossing Jordan"
  • Liam the Leprechauncharacter on YouTube show "Annoying Orange"
  • Liam Bernalcharacter in Lisa M. Stasse's series "The Forsaken"
  • Liam Dunbarcharacter on TV's "Teen Wolf"
  • Liam Bookercharacter on MTV's "Faking It"
  • Liam Kinneycharacter in Marissa Meyer's series "The Lunar Chronicles"
  • Liam Butchercharacter on British soap "EastEnders"
  • Team Starkid's song "Liam's Got a Phone Call"
  • Liam Jonesbrother of Captain Hook on TV's "Once Upon a Time"
  • Liam Kostacharacter in the game "Mass Effect: Andromeda"
  • Liam O' Briena character in the game "Assassin's Creed: Rogue"
  • Liam de Lioncourtcharacter in "Monster Prom"
  • Liam Colecharacter in CBS' Salvation

Liam in Nameberry Blog Posts