Liam nickname for William?

twinkletoes3126 · January 2012

William is a family name on my husbands side, and he would love to name our child William. I don't hate the name, but I don't love it either. I was reading on a website about it and read that people are now using Liam as a nickname for William. I'm not a fan of Bill, Will, Billy, Willy... but I do LOVE Liam!

What do you think of this nickname? Have you heard of William's going by Liam? Any feedback would be appreciated.

Sawyerplus1 · January 2012

I've only recently heard of using Liam as a nn for William, and I think it's a good idea. It makes sense (as in, it's a part of the name) and its a good option for using a family name you may not love entirely.

g8trkim · January 2012

Liam as a NN for William really seems like a reach. I've never heard of that. If you don't like any of the NN I would just use it as a middle name and pick a first name that you do like.

imimahoney · January 2012

It's very common in the town I teach in to use Liam as a nn for William. One senior, 2 juniors, and 1 freshman all go by Liam but their fns are actually William.

PeridotEyes · January 2012

It's common practice here too. I like the idea.

ljtvirkus · January 2012

I don't like it. Liam is a name on its own. If you like Liam- just use Liam.

cogbot · January 2012

Liam is most definitely a suitable nn for William. As a matter of fact, I know three boys/men that go by Liam and all have the full name William.

FrecklesInside · January 2012

I like Liam as a NN for William but Liam is becoming VERY popular. If this is not something you are concerned about - go for it! It would allow you to use a family name

twinkletoes3126 · January 2012

Thank you for your feedback!

Using Liam on it's own isn't an option. If we aren't using William, then we would just choose a different name. The whole point was to use my husbands family name (his middle name, his uncle, and grandfather's name) and have a nickname that I like. We may just use William as a middle name.

I am very happy to hear that using Liam as a nickname isn't totally strange. Thanks again!

natalie_wn@yahoo.com · January 2012

Liam is derived from William.

https://www.babynames.com/name/LIAM

brideandbreve · January 2012

cogbot:
Liam is most definitely a suitable nn for William. As a matter of fact, I know three boys/men that go by Liam and all have the full name William.

Same here. I just posted in another Baby Names thread how I met someone named William Williams. He went by Liam. He was like a fifth or sixth or something in his family, and his dad went by Will, his grandfather went by Bill, so his parents called him Liam growing up. He had his name legally changed after turning 18.

I think it's a great nickname for William.

ahappyrobot · January 2012

I like Liam best as a nn for William. In fact, all the Liams I know, save for my nephew, are named William. Great name!

MelleTX · January 2012

Using Liam as a nickname for William is just the same as using Beth as a nickname for Elizabeth. I prefer Will as a nickname for William, but Liam is totally acceptable.

I do not think it is too popular at all and is a refreshing break from the uber-popular trendy names right now.

dpdw · January 2012

natalie_wn@yahoo.com:

Liam is derived from William.

https://www.babynames.com/name/LIAM

That's not exactly true. Liam is the short form of Uilliam, which is the old Irish (Gaelic) name. William is the Anglicized version of Uilliam. So, really William is derived from Liam :-) That said, the two adult Liams that I know are officially named William.

FWIW, I find babynames.com horribly unreliable when it comes to the origin or meaning of most Irish names.