Liam
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| Pronunciation | English: /ˈliː.əm/ LEE-əm |
|---|---|
| Gender | male |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Germanic |
| Meaning | Strong protector |
| Region of origin | Ireland, England, Scotland, Sweden |
| Other names | |
| Related names | William, Will, Bill |
Origin/Meaning: Frankish 'Helmet of Will'
Liam is a short form of the Irish Gaelic name William itself a derivative of the Frankish name Willahelm. The original name was made up of a compound of the old German elements 'vilia' (will/resolution) and 'helma' (helmet). When the Frankish Empire split in half, the name developed differently in each sector. Willahelm developed first into Guilielm and then into Guillaume. Although the name was well known in England prior to 1066, through Saxon dealings with Guillaume, Duc de Normandie, it was a 'foreign' name and not used by the English, the Welsh, the Scots or the Irish. Then in 1066 the Norman Duke invaded England and set himself as King of England ~ or William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquerant as he was and still is known in France). The Norman Conquest had a dramatic effect on English names. Many, if not all, Saxon names such as Ethelred died out under the massive influx of French names. The defeated English soon realised that if they were to prosper they would need to ape their Norman overlords in manners, fashion, speech (French) and of course, names. And since the royal court 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 home-grown, and variant forms evolved and thrived alongside one another. Thus in Wales, both William and Gwilyn were popular, as were the short Wil and Gwil, and almost every village had its own Gwilyn Williams (the final 's' represents 'son of' or 'descendant of'). Meanwhile in Ireland, due a somewhat foolhardy invitation to some Norman barons from the Irish king Dermot of Ireland who was finding his subjects unruly, the Normal Conquest of Ireland was following a similar pattern to the Conquest of England a century earlier. Within a generation the Irish Uilliam was found alongside William, and the short from of both was Liam. Until the 19th century the name Liam was virtually unknown outside of Ireland, but in the mid 1850s over a million and a half people left Ireland to escape the famine, and from then on, Irish names were heard everywhere. Liam, as an independent name in England and Wales dates from 1932, but at this stage it was mainly confined to families of Irish descent. By 1955 it was recorded for 2 boys in every 10,000 - a figure it maintained until 1975 when it rose to 4 per 10,000. By 1980, it was clear that Liam was becoming a vogue name in the general population, and in that year it was recorded for 12 boys per 10,000. It continued to gain ground, and in 1985 it stood at 20 per 10,000. But this was a mere prelude to its success in the next decade, and by 1990 it was recorded for 100 boys in every 10,000. Currently Liam is listed among the most popular names, and looks set to continue as such at least until the end of the 21st Century.
People
- Liam Neeson, Irish actor.
- Liam Gallagher, lead singer of English rock band Oasis.
- Liam Miller, footballer.
- Liam Ridgewell, footballer.
- Liam Lawrence, footballer.
- Liam Lynch, American singer.
- Liam Howlett, British musician.