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Liam is a short form of the
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
name Uilliam or the old Germanic name William.


Etymology

The original name was a merging of two
Old German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...
elements: ''willa'' ("will" or "resolution"); and ''helma'' ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these elements effectively means "helmet of will" or "guardian". When the
Frankish Empire Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks du ...
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".


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 A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...
now rang with names such as Alain, Guy, Reginald and William, 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. 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. 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 The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability and survivor benefits. To qualify ...
, 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. In Canada, Liam has been the most popular boys name since 2013.


People

* Liam Abernethy, Irish hurler * Liam Aiken (born 1990), American actor * Liam Anthony, Australian rules footballer for North Melbourne * Liam Aylward, Irish politician *
Liam Brady William Brady (born 13 February 1956) is an Irish former footballer. He found success both in England with Arsenal, where he won an FA Cup in 1979, and in Italy with Juventus, winning two Serie A titles. Brady was capped 72 times for the Ireland ...
, footballer * Liam Byrne, British Labour Party politician * Liam Callanan, American author * Liam Clancy, Irish folk singer * Liam "Rory" Clewlow, lead guitar, backing vocals for Enter Shikari * Liam Cunningham (actor), Irish actor * Liam Cunningham (politician), Irish politician *
Liam Darville Liam Thomas Darville (born 26 October 1990) is an English semi-professional footballer who plays as a defender for Richmond Town. He has previously played for Leeds United, Rotherham United, Tranmere Rovers, York City and Harrogate Town. He rep ...
, English footballer * Liam Davison, Australian author * Liam Eichenberg (born 1998), American football player * Liam Fahy, Zimbabwean shoe designer * Liam Finn, New Zealand musician and songwriter *
Liam Foran Liam Foran (born 25 April 1988) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who has played for the Cessnock Goannas in the Newcastle Rugby League Competition in Newcastle, Australia, as a or . Background Liam Foran was born ...
, New Zealand rugby league player * Liam Fox, British politician * Liam Fulton, Australian rugby league player *
Liam Gallagher William John Paul Gallagher (born 21 September 1972) is an English singer and songwriter. He achieved fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis from 1991 to 2009, and later fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2009 to 2014, before starti ...
, lead singer of the English rock bands Oasis and Beady Eye *
Liam Garrigan Liam Thomas Garrigan (born 17 October 1981) is an English actor. As a youth, he attended classes at Kingston upon Hull's Northern Stage Company and was a student at Wyke College, Kingston upon Hull. His first television role was as Nic Yorke in ...
, English actor * Liam Gill, Australian rugby union player * Liam Heath, British sprint kayaker *
Liam Hemsworth Liam Hemsworth (born 13 January 1990) is an Australian actor. He played the roles of Josh Taylor in the soap opera ''Neighbours'' and Marcus in the children's television series ''The Elephant Princess''. In American films, Hemsworth starred as ...
, Australian actor *
Liam Hendriks Liam Johnson Hendriks (born 10 February 1989), nicknamed "Slydah", is an Australian professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, Toront ...
(born 1989), Australian baseball player *
Liam Highfield Liam Highfield (born 1 December 1990) is an English professional snooker player. He turned professional in 2010 after finishing second in the 2009/2010 PIOS rankings. He plays left-handed. Career Amateur years In the 2007/2008 season, Highfie ...
, English professional snooker player *
Liam Howlett Liam Paul Paris Howlett (born 21 August 1971) is an English record producer, musician, songwriter, co-founder and leader of the British electronic band The Prodigy, and an occasional DJ. Early years Howlett was born in Braintree, Essex, En ...
, DJ and member of The Prodigy * Liam Irwin, Gaelic football player *
Liam James Liam James (born August 7, 1996) is a Canadian actor, known for his role as Noah Curtis in the 2009 film ''2012'', young Shawn Spencer on the USA Network television series ''Psych'', and the lead character, Duncan, in 2013's ''The Way, Way Back' ...
, Canadian child actor * Liam Kelly (disambiguation) *
Liam Lawrence Liam Lawrence (born 14 December 1981) is a former professional footballer who played as a winger or central midfielder. Lawrence started his career at his local club Mansfield Town, after impressing at the Field Mill he signed for Sunderland ...
, footballer * Liam Lynch (musician), American singer and dancer * Liam McCullough (born 1997), American football player *
Liam McIntyre Liam James McIntyre (born 8 February 1982) is an Australian actor, best known for playing the lead role on the Starz television series '' Spartacus: Vengeance'' and '' War of the Damned'' and as Mark Mardon / Weather Wizard on ''The Flash''. He ...
, Australian actor *
Liam McKenna Six were an Irish pop group who formed on the Irish version of the television programme '' Popstars'' in 2002. The programme aired on RTÉ One on Sunday nights in the autumn and winter of 2001–02. The band were signed to Simon Cowell under ...
, Irish television presenter * Liam Miller, footballer * Liam Neeson (born 1952), Irish actor * Liam O'Brien, American voice actor * Liam O'Flaherty, Irish writer * Liam O'Neill, Gaelic Athletic Association administrator *
Liam Payne Liam James Payne (born 29 August 1993) is an English singer. He rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction. Payne made his debut as a singer in 2008 when he auditioned for the British television series ''The X Factor''. After being ...
(born 1993), English singer and member of the British-Irish boy band One Direction * Liam Plunkett, English cricketer *
Liam Ridgewell Liam Matthew Ridgewell (born 21 July 1984) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a defender. He was primarily a centre back but could also play at left back. He is currently a coach for the Portland Timbers. Ridgewell, wh ...
, footballer *
Liam Stapleton Liam Stapleton is an Australian radio presenter and comedian. He co-hosts ''Ben, Liam & Belle'' on Nova 100 with Ben Harvey and Belle Jackson. Early life Stapleton grew up in the suburbs of Adelaide. Career Stapleton began his radio caree ...
, Australian radio presenter *
Liam Waite Liam Waite (born Liam Owen East; March 20, 1971) is an American actor. He is the stepson of Ralph Waite. He is known for portraying a Mars Police Force Officer in John Carpenter's ‘’Ghost of Mars’’ & portraying a father figure in televis ...
, American actor *
Liam Walsh (hurler) Liam Walsh (born 25 June 1963) is former Republic of Ireland, Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Glenmore GAA, Glenmore and with the Kilkenny GAA, Kilkenny senior inter-county team in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1992, he won ...
(born 1963), Irish hurler * Liam Walsh (boxer) (born 1986), English boxer * Liam Watson (disambiguation) * Liam Watts, drummer for the band the Enemy * Liam Watts, English rugby player in position of prop for Hull Kingston Rovers * Liam Weldon, Irish folk singer *
Liam Williams (rugby player) Liam Brian Williams (born 9 April 1991) is a Welsh professional rugby union player who primarily plays fullback for Cardiff in the United Rugby Championship. He has also represented Wales at international level, having made his test debut ag ...
, Welsh rugby player * Liam Wilson, bass player for the Dillinger Escape Plan * Liam Wright, Papua New Guinean basketball player


References

{{given name Masculine given names English masculine given names Irish masculine given names