Liam
Say it: LEE-um/ˈliːəm/
BoyIrishMeans a short form of William4 letters2 syllables
#7
in Ireland (2025)
313
babies in 2025
#6
best rank (2021)
15,061
babies since 1964
Up 13
10-year rank change
Liam through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 313 | #7 |
| 2024 | 303 | #9 |
| 2023 | 289 | #9 |
| 2022 | 323 | #8 |
| 2021 | 353 | #6 |
| 2020 | 329 | #10 |
| 2019 | 334 | #8 |
| 2018 | 338 | #12 |
| 2017 | 312 | #15 |
| 2016 | 333 | #14 |
| 2015 | 324 | #20 |
| 2014 | 378 | #15 |
| 2013 | 365 | #18 |
| 2012 | 427 | #13 |
| 2011 | 412 | #17 |
| 2010 | 412 | #15 |
| 2009 | 457 | #15 |
| 2008 | 437 | #17 |
| 2007 | 339 | #26 |
| 2006 | 295 | #30 |
| 2005 | 297 | #27 |
| 2004 | 310 | #28 |
| 2003 | 316 | #24 |
| 2002 | 290 | #26 |
| 2001 | 267 | #24 |
| 2000 | 257 | #26 |
| 1999 | 290 | #21 |
| 1998 | 197 | #30 |
| 1997 | 297 | #28 |
| 1996 | 237 | #37 |
| 1995 | 170 | #44 |
| 1994 | 172 | #45 |
| 1993 | 155 | #49 |
| 1992 | 182 | #46 |
| 1991 | 187 | #44 |
| 1990 | 178 | #47 |
| 1989 | 167 | #46 |
| 1988 | 170 | #48 |
| 1987 | 175 | #48 |
| 1986 | 187 | #49 |
| 1985 | 175 | #49 |
| 1984 | 189 | #49 |
| 1983 | 187 | #49 |
| 1982 | 192 | #50 |
| 1981 | 197 | #51 |
| 1980 | 231 | #51 |
| 1979 | 187 | #53 |
| 1978 | 177 | #56 |
| 1977 | 175 | #56 |
| 1976 | 172 | #56 |
| 1975 | 142 | #63 |
| 1974 | 182 | #56 |
| 1973 | 169 | #56 |
| 1972 | 154 | #57 |
| 1971 | 127 | #61 |
| 1970 | 147 | #50 |
| 1969 | 118 | #57 |
| 1968 | 122 | #51 |
| 1967 | 120 | #49 |
| 1966 | 110 | #57 |
| 1965 | 103 | #59 |
| 1964 | 111 | #54 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Liam mean?
A short form of William
Irish, short for Uilliam, the Irish form of William.
Say it right
LEEum
The story of Liam
Liam began in Ireland as a clipped form of Uilliam, which is how William is written in Irish. It has since spread well beyond Ireland and is now common in Britain and the United States too.
The link with William is easy to see in the actor Liam Neeson, from Northern Ireland, whose full name is William John Neeson.
Liam has been given steadily in Ireland throughout the CSO records, usually somewhere around 50th place from the 1960s to the early 1990s. It climbed from the late 1990s and reached number 6 in 2021. Its biggest year was 2009, with 457 boys. It is far less common in Northern Ireland, where it ranked 44th in 2025.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Liam (English and Irish proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Liam
- Wikipedia: Liam Neeson
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Liam | 313 | 15,061 |
In Northern Ireland
#44 in 2025 with 43 babies. Best rank #35 (2008); 1,657 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.