Liam
| Pronunciation | Irish: [l̻ʲiamˠ] English: /ˈliː.əm/, LEE-əm |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Word/name | Ireland |
| Meaning | Desire, Guardian, Helmet, Protector, Boss |
| Region of origin | Ireland |
| Related names | William, Wilhelm, Will, Bill, Gwilym, Guillermo (Latin form) |
Liam is a short form of the Irish name "Uilliam".
Liam has been the most popular name for boys in Canada and the second most popular names for boys in the United States, since 2013.
The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: willa ("will" or "resolution"); and helma ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these elements effectively means "helmet of will" or "guardian".
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".
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 , died out under the massive influx of French ones. Since the Royal Court now rang with names such as Alain, Guy, Aeginald 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.
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