| Liam | Ryan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Resolute protector | Little king |
| Origin | Irish | Irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | LEE-am | RY-un |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1947 | 1906 |
| Peak year | 2024 (22,252) | 1985 (29,905) |
| In 2025 | 20,818 | 3,532 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Liam | Ryan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 124,842 | 25,959 |
| 2010s | 174,017 | 91,006 |
| 2000s | 44,940 | 173,244 |
| 1990s | 11,904 | 241,248 |
| 1980s | 1,527 | 278,938 |
| 1970s | 784 | 139,635 |
| 1960s | 400 | 11,322 |
| 1950s | 117 | 1,961 |
| 1940s | 5 | 500 |
| 1930s | 0 | 134 |
| 1920s | 0 | 111 |
| 1910s | 0 | 55 |
| 1900s | 0 | 10 |
Liam is an Irish short form of William, itself from the Germanic Wilhelm — wil (will, desire) plus helm (helmet, protection) — giving the sense “resolute protector” or “strong-willed guardian.”
Ryan is anglicised from the Irish surname Ó Riain, “descendant of Rían,” a name linked to rí, “king” — hence the popular gloss “little king.”
Liam is more popular than Ryan today: about 20,818 US babies were given the name Liam in 2025, compared with 3,532 named Ryan.
Liam means Resolute protector (Irish origin), while Ryan means Little king (Irish origin).
In US records, Liam first appears in 1947 and Ryan in 1906, so Ryan has the longer recorded history.