Liam is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Liam means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Liam across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Liam has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Liam is a boy name of Germanic origin meaning “resolute protector”. an Irish short form of William.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 359,085 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 60,555 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 13,614 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 1,614 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 15,061 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 9,568 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Liam per year, United States (1947 to 2025). United States peaked in 2024 (22,288/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (5,802/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1996 (701/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2009 (457/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1999 (97/yr).
Liam has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 2024, when it ranked #1 nationally (given to 23,482 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2020s.
Lum · Lima · Lem · Lyam · Lim · Limmie · Lam · Liem
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