Liam Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, Boy Names Like Liam

Liam Name Origin: Irish
Pronunciation: lee-um
See what 87 people think about Liam

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Liam Name Meaning

With all the familiarity of William without the formality, Liam is a charming choice for parents to be. Unlike most nicknames, Liam is strong enough to stand on his own two feet and shine, distinguishing himself from his name root with ease. He’s short, sweet, and to the point – a no nonsense spinoff that earns attention everywhere he goes. His strong meaning is a stark contrast to his gentle sound, winning hearts left and right. Who wouldn’t love a little guardian, after all?

Liam is the cool kid on the block, bursting onto the baby name scene in the U.S. and conquering the charts at number one for the first time in 2017. It’s no surprise parents are loving Liam, as the name flips the trendy -lee sound generally seen at the tail end of names like Bentley or Wesley onto its head, literally. He fits in well among other names seen today yet ages effortlessly as seen in action star, Liam Neeson.

Little Liam is full of life and ready to take on the great wide world out there. He is free to explore and wander without the stuffiness of formality or titles yet not so wild to make a scene everywhere he goes.

Liam Name Popularity

How popular is the name Liam? Here’s everything we know.

Year	Rank	# Births	% Births
1910	—	0	0%
1911	—	0	0%
1912	—	0	0%
1913	—	0	0%
1914	—	0	0%
1915	—	0	0%
1916	—	0	0%
1917	—	0	0%
1918	—	0	0%
1919	—	0	0%
1920	—	0	0%
1921	—	0	0%
1922	—	0	0%
1923	—	0	0%
1924	—	0	0%
1925	—	0	0%
1926	—	0	0%
1927	—	0	0%
1928	—	0	0%
1929	—	0	0%
1930	—	0	0%
1931	—	0	0%
1932	—	0	0%
1933	—	0	0%
1934	—	0	0%
1935	—	0	0%
1936	—	0	0%
1937	—	0	0%
1938	—	0	0%
1939	—	0	0%
1940	—	0	0%
1941	—	0	0%
1942	—	0	0%
1943	—	0	0%
1944	—	0	0%
1945	—	0	0%
1946	—	0	0%
1947	—	0	0%
1948	—	0	0%
1949	—	0	0%
1950	—	0	0%
1951	—	0	0%
1952	—	0	0%
1953	—	0	0%
1954	1,543	5	0.0003%
1955	1,315	8	0.0004%
1956	1,470	5	0.0003%
1957	1,305	9	0.0005%
1958	1,443	6	0.0003%
1959	1,243	11	0.0006%
1960	1,588	5	0.0003%
1961	1,184	13	0.0007%
1962	1,429	6	0.0003%
1963	967	25	0.0014%
1964	1,005	22	0.0012%
1965	937	26	0.0016%
1966	881	32	0.002%
1967	815	41	0.0027%
1968	886	32	0.0021%
1969	954	29	0.0019%
1970	1,125	21	0.0013%
1971	952	35	0.0023%
1972	910	37	0.0027%
1973	877	41	0.0032%
1974	989	31	0.0024%
1975	817	57	0.0044%
1976	921	41	0.0032%
1977	806	66	0.0049%
1978	791	72	0.0054%
1979	793	73	0.0052%
1980	824	71	0.0049%
1981	781	80	0.0054%
1982	696	107	0.0072%
1983	690	104	0.007%
1984	724	94	0.0063%
1985	745	94	0.0062%
1986	734	101	0.0067%
1987	760	98	0.0064%
1988	719	124	0.008%
1989	661	173	0.0107%
1990	623	219	0.0132%
1991	625	220	0.0135%
1992	601	244	0.0153%
1993	517	350	0.0224%
1994	363	624	0.0407%
1995	241	1,178	0.0782%
1996	184	1,730	0.1155%
1997	162	2,094	0.1416%
1998	155	2,195	0.1467%
1999	141	2,698	0.1802%
2000	140	2,775	0.1817%
2001	131	3,021	0.2005%
2002	113	3,375	0.2252%
2003	114	3,563	0.2342%
2004	112	3,825	0.251%
2005	104	4,147	0.2712%
2006	98	4,512	0.2882%
2007	89	5,138	0.3256%
2008	75	5,978	0.3868%
2009	49	8,563	0.5729%
2010	30	10,927	0.7583%
2011	15	13,433	0.9428%
2012	6	16,796	1.1787%
2013	3	18,131	1.2735%
2014	2	18,451	1.2664%
2015	2	18,355	1.2615%
2016	2	18,198	1.2622%
2017	1	18,728	1.3418%
2018	1	19,837	1.4438%
2019	1	20,502	1.5145%
2020	1	19,386	1.523%
2021	1	20,272	1.6583%
2022	1	20,207	1.5317%

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Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Liam

If you like Liam, you’ll love these other names like Liam.

What names are diminutives of Liam?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Liam sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Liam, but shorter.

Name	Meaning	Origin	Popularity	Other Gender
Lee	Pasture or meadow	English

What names are variants of Liam?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Liam.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Lyam	Will helmet, protection	German
Will	Desiring peace; will helmet, protection	German
Willem	Will helmet, protection	German
William	A willing protector	German

What names sound like Liam?

If you like how Liam sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Liam.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Leland	Plowed land	English
Lem	Belonging to God	Hebrew
Lemmie	Belonging to God	Hebrew
Leo	Lion	Latin
Leonardo	Brave lion	Italian
Levi	Joined together	Hebrew

What names are similar to Liam?

Find a name that’s like Liam, but just a little bit different.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Aiden	Little fire	Irish
Ethan	Enduring and strong	Hebrew
Henry	Home ruler	English

Jack	God is gracious	English
Landon	Long hill	English
Logan	Small hollow	Scottish
Luke	From Lucania	Greek
Noah	To rest	Hebrew
Oliver	Olive tree	English
Ryan	Little king	Irish

Lists With Liam

Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Liam.

Siblings of Liam

Mamas with kids named Liam also have kids with these names.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Alexia	Man's defender; defender, protector	Greek
Melanie	Black	Greek
Gage	Pledge	English
Dennis	Follower of Dionysius	Greek
Micheal	Who resembles God?	Hebrew
Elizabet	God's promise; God is my oath	Hebrew
Lyanna	Gracous, Field	American
Christian	Follower of Christ	Latin

Kinsley	King’s clearing	English
Landon	Long hill	English
Matthew	Gift of God	Hebrew
Ryan	Little king	Irish
Isla	Island	Scottish
Aislin
Haddon	Hill of heather	English
Walker	Fuller of cloth	English
Olivia	Olive tree	Latin
Theodore	God's gift	Greek
Jaxon	Son of Jack	English
Emilee	Rival; laborious; eager	Latin

Share Your Thoughts

87 Comments

Carmen+Flores May 1 at 8:48 am

First we were looking for a biblical name but most of them were common names and long and we couldn’t decide on Emanuel or Jeremiah. At the end we decided to brainstorm and look for a short meaningful name. We found Liam which means strong while and protector. He is our rainbow baby so we felt ir fit him perfectly. It’s short and it means he is our strong baby.

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Regina Mar 7 at 12:47 pm

My Son name is William.
I hate Bill or Billy, feels like bullies in series.
Will and Willy are too big for him ..
Liam is the only nickname that I adore!
It’s simple and MANLY.

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Julie Jan 30 at 11:08 am

Irish (short) version for William , it’s the same name meaning of William but I feel Liam is more modern

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Amanda Hall Jan 1 at 8:26 am

Always wanted to name my son Liam

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Artykidink Nov 5 at 2:19 am

Liam is popular and this was all cool to learn about this name.

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Crystal Jul 29 at 10:21 am

I love the name cause it’s unique

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Crystal+Howe May 6 at 7:42 pm

Just a name that both parents loved

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Tiffany Apr 28 at 7:15 am

We chose the name Liam because it was very unique at the time.

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Liam Apr 7 at 6:57 pm

My name is Liam and this was interesting to learn

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Jamie Apr 1 at 10:29 am

My dad and brother’s name is William but they go by Bill and Will. So we thought Liam was a great other rendition of the name William!

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Quatasia Mar 30 at 7:24 am

I love the simplicity of it but how it’s not common in my area.

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Lauren Dec 6 at 4:31 pm

I chose the name Liam because it will be easy for him to write when he is old enough and it starts with a L to match my name that also starts with an L. And also bc Liam Neeson is a really great actor!

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Rachel Oct 24 at 3:00 pm

Liam is short for William-after both of my grandfathers, my Dad’s middle name and my brother. Matthew is in honor of my husband’s brother who passed when they were young.
Love the meaning also–strong willed warrior or protector.

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Edna Jun 21 at 12:09 pm

His dad always liked the name. It means strong

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- Oliver Lowry Jul 12 at 7:08 pm
  
  kill yourself NOW
  
  Reply
  - Liam Sep 26 at 4:30 pm
    
    what the hell man
    
    Reply
Ashley Jun 16 at 9:34 am

Biblical and traditional

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Brittany Apr 29 at 11:37 am

Loved the name

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- Mary Elizabeth Zeta-Fernandez-Lopez May 9 at 9:38 pm
  
  What do you mean Will and Willy are to big for him?
  
  Reply
Linh Apr 17 at 3:22 pm

We went through a lot of names, but choose the name Liam because it sounds cute and means Little warrior and protector.

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- Oliver Lowry Jul 12 at 7:07 pm
  
  I hope he died
  
  Reply
Pritcilia Mar 12 at 12:50 am

I love the name and it’s meaning

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- kys Jul 12 at 7:06 pm
  
  kys
  
  Reply
Jamie Mar 5 at 9:13 am

It means strong willed warrior or righteous protector. In this day&age I want a son who is strong willed and channeled well versus someone who just sways with wherever the cultural wind blows.

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Sheena Feb 26 at 2:22 pm

Family name

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Kayla Marsh Feb 12 at 1:40 pm

Named after actor Liam Nissan. Tough name

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Shavon Jan 14 at 7:31 am

Thought it was cute and he’s so adorable I cld just eat him up lol

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Giulia Dec 13 at 2:46 am

I really liked the name and what it means 🙂

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Nicole Oct 15 at 1:19 pm

We named him William with the nickname of Liam after his father to carry on the name that his mother decided to give him before she passed but with a new twist so he can be his own man and not feel like a Junior.

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Jerra Oct 14 at 8:46 am

When we were dating the movie Taken with Liam Neeson was super popular and we both agreed that we loved the name and if we had a boy one day he would be named Liam.

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Jessica Sep 13 at 5:32 pm

Family history

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Evelyn Sep 12 at 5:35 pm

His grandpa’s name is Bill, and we wanted to honour him but we didn’t want Billy and I wasn’t a big fan of Will or Willy. So that left us with Liam, I thought it was a great choice! His middle name is Marcus, William Marcus sounds friendly to me. And 6 years later I still love the name.

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Gabriela Jul 23 at 1:47 pm

I just really love the name

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Kayla Jul 15 at 12:08 pm

Liam is short simple and sweet. It means “protector” and strong willed.

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Kayla Jul 15 at 12:06 pm

Liam is short simple and sweet.

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Carolina Jul 7 at 10:52 am

We love the name no reason in particular

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Kayla Jun 22 at 9:17 am

My husbands family name is William, and my hubby goes by Will. We named our son William and Liam is the second half of William (because hubby is the first half)

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- Oliver Lowry Mar 18 at 6:13 pm
  
  No one Fucking cares.
  
  Reply
Estela Truzman Jun 14 at 5:48 am

He’s perfect

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Kelly Jun 12 at 10:44 am

Baby boy’s formal name is Richard Liam after both of his grandfathers! He is the third Richard – his paternal grandfather is Richard Millard (Millard is an old British family name that they chose not to pass down) and his father is Richard Cameron (goes by Cameron). Liam is short for William in Ireland – I’m Irish and my father’s name is William. We loved Liam on its own and felt it is a short but strong name to carry him throughout his life!

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STEPHANIE May 11 at 8:53 am

We wanted to have something from our Irish roots and also it’s a shortened version of his daddy’s name William.

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Andrea Apr 25 at 7:16 am

Easy to say In both English and Spanish, love that it means protector and connects to my husband’s Irish background

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Melissa Scott Lewis Feb 22 at 2:53 am

The first name, Liam, came to me in a dream. We were still so sure we were having a girl. About a week before we found out I woke in the middle of the night with that name in my head. When we heard it was a boy, it seemed like the only option. His middle name is Scott which is my maiden name.

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Niña Jan 28 at 8:05 pm

I saw it on the Bible

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Ellyse Nov 13 at 11:23 am

I always loved William but my husband thought it was too formal so we went with Liam. It means protector!

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Amy Aug 10 at 11:48 am

Liam is short for William which is a family name on my husband’s side!

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Scarlett Jun 30 at 12:51 pm

I LOVE IT. IT DOES WELL WITH MY OTHER BOYS NAMES DENNY AND JEREMIAH

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Brittany Jun 15 at 3:44 pm

My husband wanted to keep the tradition of using their family name. His middle name is William so we decided to call our baby Liam

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Lisa Apr 28 at 11:14 am

My husband has deep Scottish roots and Liam is the Celtic name for William. His middle name is Wimberly which is a town that is named after my husband’s great great great grandfather. We thought his name was the perfect blend of unique and traditional.

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Felicia Apr 22 at 11:43 am

I love my newborn baby and his name

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Rachael Cheung Apr 8 at 9:43 pm

No major thought except that our son just looked like a Liam ?

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Denizz Mar 23 at 9:27 am

Liam is a very calm baby he only cries if he is gassy, hungry, or dirty, we waited 113 years for him and it was worth it he is absolutely perfect

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Marietta Mar 11 at 9:30 am

My husband has always loved the name and since his family is Irish Scottish the name fits there. It fits in my family because a lot of men in my family are named William and Liam is Irish for William.

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Haley Feb 27 at 5:31 am

It’s the last part of the name William, which is a new take on the name. We chose it because William is a family name. I was rather saddened exactly how popular it is, didn’t realize until afterwards that it was actually the #1 boy name of 2018 according to the SSA. But, our daughter’s name (Charlie) wound up being pretty popular too, so I guess we just tend to go for trendy names?!

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Lia Dec 14 at 11:14 am

I chose my first sons name and he is roughly named after his father. It was an old nickname a few of his old friends used. I loved it and it felt right. My husband asked to name our second son and he wanted to name him after me. Liam is like a male version of my name. It felt right and I loved the thought my husband put into it.

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Brandy An Brian Dec 10 at 6:53 pm

Had twins Liam and zoey

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Suzie Dec 5 at 1:55 pm

I chose Liam, because his fathers name is William, I don’t really care for William. I wanted something modern & but with meaning.

I dislike, how common it is. I went to the pediatrician for the first time and there was 3 Liams waiting area.

Other than that it’s a really cute name.

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Catherine Dec 5 at 9:23 am

My son’s name is Liam Daryl, my oldest brother’s wife picked Liam while I was in the hospital due to deliver, I loved it right away, don’t hear that name too much where I live, Daryl is after my youngest brother who’s birthday Liam was due on. That is how I came up with my son’s name. He is perfect and loved so much.

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Devon Nov 12 at 9:13 pm

I’ve always liked the name Liam, and it goes well with our last name. I didn’t realize it was so popular until I started researching boy names to get other ideas. I was a little disappointed because I don’t want him dealing with being one of many Liams in his class at school, but in the end we decided to stick with it because we just like the name.

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WillnTarra Nov 8 at 9:31 am

We chose the name Liam because his Dad’s name is William; but he goes by Will. Not only is Liam a derivative of William, but when you put Will and Liam together, you also get William. So you see, Liam is named after his Daddy.

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Heather Nov 3 at 12:40 pm

We got his bc it’s a different form of a family member that had passed

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Cherokee Oct 28 at 6:33 am

We chose the name based off of its meaning and where it came from

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Laura Sep 10 at 2:49 pm

I fell in love with the name

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Liam Sep 3 at 12:59 pm

Strong-willed, protector the meaning resonates with my qualities

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Letícia Sep 3 at 12:07 pm

We chose it because of its meaning of guardian and protector. I feel kids always take after their meaning somehow. We want him to be a guardian of his brothers and sisters in the future. The only thing I dislike is not having a nickname for him, that works both in English and Portuguese…

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Amy Sep 3 at 10:27 am

Short for William, plain and simple and a nice boys name

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Dominique Aug 25 at 1:18 pm

My Grandma loved watching soap opera and on the Bold and the Beautiful one character name is Liam and we was going through names one day and she suggested that and we loved it. She passed away Sept 22,18 three months before he was born.

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Dominique Aug 19 at 10:36 am

My grandma suggested the name. She loved her soap operas and on the bold and the beautiful one of the characters name is Liam. She passed 9/22/18 and Liam was born 12/30/18. So His angel chose his name

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Christina Aug 17 at 8:21 pm

Liam because it means protector and warrior
He is my warrior he was a pree mee so warrior fits him perfect

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Jessica Miller Aug 14 at 10:31 am

Liam is short for William. Both are very strong names.

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Kayla Aug 13 at 9:20 am

I havent heard that name and my boyfriend and I loved the name. We love the name and it also fits him as well.

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Kathea Aug 1 at 9:17 am

I thought is was a cute name

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Glorimar Jul 27 at 10:43 am

I love that name because no one has it

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Liam Munemo Jul 27 at 10:04 am

I called him Liam because we went through a lot during his pregnancy, there were complications during labour times. He survived the difficulty time hence we called him Liam a strong willed warrior

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Bridget Jul 25 at 11:34 am

I wanted a name sorta biblical (As my daughter is Genevieve Nevaeh..which is heaven backwards). Also, I’ve been in love with the name since watching the spinoff 90210 as a teenager.

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Amber Jun 24 at 10:54 pm

His name is actually William, Liam is a nickname his dad chose (we discussed other’s but settled in this one). He’s named after his dad and carrying on the family name for all first born sons. He is a fourth! William Arthur Griggs IV.

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Lydia Jun 19 at 10:14 am

Liam means strong willed warrior and protector

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Dreamcatcher7883 Jun 16 at 12:37 pm

Liam means strong-willed, warrior and protector… Born 6 weeks early he is getting stronger everyday

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Pauline Jun 15 at 12:57 am

I choose the name Liam because it means a warrior and I went through so much while carrying the baby.

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Emily Jun 14 at 12:45 am

I loved the name Liam because it seemed so masculine and was easy for everyone to pronounce.

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Mercedes Jun 9 at 10:00 am

Because my grandfather name is William & Liam is short for William .

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Brittany Jun 9 at 6:40 am

It was a name I felt drawn to. He was also named after his great – grandfather whose middle name was William.

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Elisabeth Jun 7 at 4:20 am

Hi to all mom’s the way we came up with our little guys name was a process of allowing our elder son (soon to be 11 years old) assist brainstorming names, just to help him feel like he had some input in his brother’s
life. We went through names like Hulk, John Cena and a few others. We decided being christian we wanted a name from the bible so my husband chose Malachi however my son had a say “how do you expect my brother to spell his name when he just starts school you should name him Liam” No questions asked the name stuck and along came our bundle of joy who has the names Liam Malachi. What an amazing site to watch the brothers together an amazing bond.

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Carmen Apr 22 at 1:42 pm

We wanted a short English name that was easy to pronounce in Spanish since we live in Madrid, Spain.
We looked up the meaning “the protector ” and loved it!!
Liam is our first child and we love his name

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Morgan Apr 22 at 12:58 pm

We wanted a name of Irish origin that wasn’t too popular. We didn’t know any Liams personally so we went with it! We love how short it is because we have an eleven letter last name. We have had some native Germans have difficulty pronouncing the name!

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Lavinia Apr 22 at 12:36 pm

It was top #1 boy name for 2018 and said to be of German origin
I feel that it matches my son’s personality and I like the way it sounds.

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Jessica Apr 13 at 2:06 pm

I had the name stuck in my head since I was in middle school, not specifically for my child but I had named a stuffed bear that, characters I would write about, etc. When I got married my new last name is very Irish and we are both Irish so wanted something along those lines. When our son was born it just felt right, he was definitely our Liam!

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Liam