| Hamish | Lyall | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Supplanter | wolf |
| Origin | Scottish | scottish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | HAY-mish | LY-al |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1981 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2017 (25) | 1929 (16) |
| In 2025 | 14 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Hamish | Lyall |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 105 | 23 |
| 2010s | 145 | 0 |
| 2000s | 92 | 5 |
| 1990s | 17 | 6 |
| 1980s | 5 | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 | 7 |
| 1960s | 0 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0 | 35 |
| 1940s | 0 | 38 |
| 1930s | 0 | 55 |
| 1920s | 0 | 71 |
| 1910s | 0 | 41 |
Hamish is the Scottish form of James, “supplanter.”
From the Old Norse personal name Liulfr, whose second element is 'ulfr' ('wolf'); adapted in Scotland after Norse settlement. The first element is obscure (possibly 'lid', host/people), so only the 'wolf' element is securely attested; a separate Gaelic derivation has also been proposed.
Hamish is more popular than Lyall today: about 14 US babies were given the name Hamish in 2025, compared with 0 named Lyall.
Hamish means Supplanter (Scottish origin), while Lyall means wolf (scottish origin).
In US records, Hamish first appears in 1981 and Lyall in 0, so Lyall has the longer recorded history.