boy (SSA Category)Irish Origin Germanic OriginUS Rank #1 in 2025

Liam

Alternative forms & variants: William, Uilliam

Verified Meaning & Etymology

“Resolute protector; traditional Irish short form of Uilliam / William”

Linguistic heritage: Irish / Germanic

Pronunciation

English Phonetic:LEE-um

IPA (US English):/ˈliːəm/

Source: Carnegie Mellon Pronouncing Dictionary (en-US)

Compare Liam With Another Name

Peak Popularity202422,252 births in peak year

2025 US Rank#120,846 births in 2025

Total US Registrations359,085Recorded since 1880

Demographic Ratio100% MaleBased on SSA application records

Historical US Popularity Trajectory

Annual recorded US births from 1950 to 2025 (US Social Security Administration)

Peak US Popularity2024 (22,252 births)

Earliest RecordYear 1950

Recent 2025 Level20,818 births

Data source: United States Social Security Administration (1880–2025). The SSA privacy policy suppresses counts under 5. Data indicates biological sex entered on Social Security applications.

Names Similar to Liam

Calculated deterministically based on shared linguistic origins, styling, and popularity tier.

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Source Citations & Review Provenance

Demographic Data:

United States Social Security Administration (SSA) National Data (1880–2025). Counts reflect 100% of Social Security card applications where year, sex, and state of birth are recorded.

Linguistic Derivation:

Meanings cross-referenced with Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Nurturepedia (MIT). Phonetics audited against the Carnegie Mellon University Pronouncing Dictionary (BSD).

Last reviewed by editorial check: 2026-10-28Submit a factual correction or inquiry →