Liam
PronunciationEnglish: /ˈliːəm/ LEE-əm
Irish: [ˈl̠ʲiəmˠ]
GenderMale
Origin
Word/nameIreland
MeaningDesire, Guardian, Helmet, Protector, Boss
Region of originIreland
Other names
Related namesWilhelm, William, Gwilym, Will, Bill, Guillaume (French form), Guillermo (Spanish form)[1]

Liam is a short form of the Irish name Uilliam or the old Germanic name William.

Etymology

The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: willa[2] ("will" or "resolution"); and helma ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these elements effectively means "helmet of will" or "guardian".[3]

When the Frankish Empire was divided, the name developed differently in each region. In Northern Francia, Willahelm developed first into "Willelm" and then into "Willaume" in Norman and Picard, and "Guillaume" in Ile-de-France French. The Norman form was further developed by the English into the familiar modern form "William".[4]

Origin

Although the names Willahelm and Guillaume were well known in England before 1066, through Saxon dealings with Guillaume, Duc de Normandie, it was viewed as a "foreign" name. The Norman Conquest had a dramatic effect on English names. Many if not most Saxon names, such as Ethelred, died out under the massive influx of French ones. Since the Royal Court now rang with names such as Alain, Guy, Reginald and William,[5] they were quickly adopted by the English, the Welsh, and eventually the Irish.

Within a generation, the "new" names had become so completely assimilated that they were regarded as homegrown, and variant forms evolved and thrived alongside one another. In Wales, both William and Gwilym became popular, as did the short forms Wil and Gwil, and almost every village had its own Gwilym Williams (the final "s" represented "son of" or "descendant of"). The Norman conquest of Ireland followed a similar pattern to that of England a century earlier. Within a generation, the Irish Uilliam was found alongside William, and the short form of both was Liam.[6]

Until the end of the 18th century, Liam was virtually unknown outside Ireland. In the mid-1850s, over a million and a half people left Ireland to escape the catastrophic great famine and, from then on, Irish names were heard everywhere. Liam as an independent name in England and Wales dates from 1932, but it was mainly confined to the families of Irish descent. By 1955, it was recorded for two boys in every 10,000, a figure it maintained until 1975, when it rose to four per 10,000.

Late 20th and early 21st centuries

By 1980, it was clear that Liam was becoming a vogue name in the general population in the United Kingdom and that year it was recorded for 12 boys per 10,000. It continued to gain ground. In 1985, it stood at 20 per 10,000, and by 1990, it was recorded for 100 boys in every 10,000. In 1996, Liam peaked in popularity as the 10th most popular baby name for boys in England and Wales, according to the UK Office for National Statistics.[7]

Liam continued to remain in the top 33 most popular boys names in the UK throughout the first decade of the 21st century but started to steadily decline in 2009.

Meanwhile, according to the Social Security Administration, Liam had been steadily gaining in popularity in the United States and entered the top 50 names for the first time in 2009 at number 49. As Liam gained popularity in the US, climbing to number two by 2013, popularity in the UK plummeted, and it ranked 67th that same year.[8][9] Liam was among the five most popular names for Hispanic newborn boys and newborn boys of Asian descent in the American state of Virginia in 2022.[10] In Canada, Liam has been the most popular boys name since 2013.[11][12][13]

YearRank in the US[8]Rank in the UK[9][14]
199436017
1995240Not available
199618410
199716215
199815524
199914117
200014019
200113124
200211323
200311429
200411230
200510428
20069832
20078927
20087522
20094924
20103033
20111544
2012650
20133[15]67
20142[15]76
20152[15]81
20162[15]97
20171[15]91
20181[15]85
20191[15]
20201[15]
20211[15]
2022 1[15]

The name is also popular worldwide for boys in Argentina, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Quebec, Canada, Sweden, and Switzerland.[16]

People

References

  1. ↑ Staff (2004–2012). "Guillaume". Think Baby Names. Thinkbabynames.com. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  2. ↑ Douglas Harper (2001–2012). "helmet". Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  3. ↑ Sean Crist. "Search results". Germanic Lexicon Project. Germanic Lexicon Project. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  4. ↑ François d'Eudemare (1626). "Search results". Histoire excellente et héroique du roy Willaume le bastard, jadis roy d'Angleterre & duc de Normandie.
  5. ↑ "Online Etymology Dictionary". etymonline.com. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  6. ↑ A Revised History of Names in Britain
  7. ↑ "Release Edition Reference Tables - ONS". ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
  8. 1 2 "Popular Baby Names". ssa.gov. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
  9. 1 2 "Baby Names, England and Wales". ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  10. ↑ "Virginia Department of Health's Office of Vital Records Announces Top Fifteen Baby Names of 2022, Other Interesting Virginia Birth Data".
  11. ↑ "Top 100 Baby Names in Canada 2013 - Today's Parent". Today's Parent. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  12. ↑ "Top 100 Baby Names in Canada 2014 - Today's Parent". Today's Parent. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  13. ↑ "Top 100 Baby Names in Canada 2015 - Today's Parent". Today's Parent. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  14. ↑ Powell-Smith, Anna. "Baby Names in England & Wales". English Baby Names. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Top 5 Names in Each of the Last 100 Years". Social Security Administration. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  16. ↑ Evans, Cleveland Kent (22 May 2023). "Evans: A Look at the Top Baby Names of 2022". omaha.com. Omaha World Herald. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
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