If so, you may be considering his potential future siblings and what you'd name Liam's little brother. Future names are definitely something you should think about when naming your first kid. Now's the time to ponder those options and I'm here to help!
First, as you probably know, Liam is the Irish shortened form of William. According to Behind The Name, it became popular in the United Kingdom in the 1980s, and elsewhere in Europe and the Americas after that. It has only become more popular here in the US.
William comes from the Germanic name Willahelm meaning "will helmet", composed of the elements wil "will, desire" and helm "helmet, protection". I could launch into a history lesson on all the Williams of the past, but let's continue on.
In the American rankings (since 1880) William has never ranked outside of the top 20, making it one of the most consistently popular names (although it has never reached the top rank). William ranked at #3 in 2018, just shy of Liam's #1, and most recently ranks at #10.
Even though Liam is so popular now, it's still unique in the fact that it is literally the latter half of another name that also ranks just as highly. I cannot find any other names that do the same. The closest I can find is Elijah at #5 and Eli at #80. Even if you aren't a fan of popular names, you have to admit that Liam is interesting.
So let's get down to business. You don't know what to name your second son. Here's my Top 10 ideas for you:
1. Luke If you are a fan of short, nicknamey names, and don't mind alliteration, Luke and Liam would be very cute together.
2. Miles These two names share the same "m" and "l" sounds but in opposite order. They are both short but not so similar in style, which means the boys can have their own kind of name while still complementing one another.
3. Aidan If you are looking for the names to be similar in style, I would choose a popular Irish name. However, the Aidan trend is definitely on its way out the door, so it may actually be perceived as somewhat uncommon now after the fact.
4. Connor Again, a common but solid Irish name would pair nicely with Liam. Liam and Connor don't share any of the same sounds, but they work well for brothers.
5. Ethan Both of these names feel vowel-dominant and popular without being dated. Something about their vibe make them match without being too similar.
6. Cole Cole comes from Nicholas. Not quite in the same way that Liam comes from William, but very close. Liam and Cole would work well for brothers on many levels. They are both four letter names, contain the letter "l" and come from longer more traditional names. Win-win!
7. Logan Liam and Logan sound good together for their alliteration with that "L" sound, and also since "m" and "n" are so similar in sound, they have near-alliteration at the end too without it being exact.
8. Noah If Liam is the number one name in the country, Noah is his right-hand man at number two. If you already went popular, might as well do the same for your second son. Liam and Noah are vowel-dominant four-letter names at the top of the stack. They work perfectly.
9. Wyatt Another popular choice that just vibes well with Liam. They don't really share any sounds, but they work, ya know? Sometimes it is nice to have a clear distinction in sound.
10. Levi Last but not least, Liam and Levi also pair well for many reasons. For parents who do like similar sounds, they both start with the same "LEE" sound, but have very different ending sounds. This may be too much for some parents, but it may be perfect for others. But keep in mind:
The more different the first two childrens' names are, the easier it is to pick a third. Try to think ahead if you were to have a third son. I hope these suggestions help!
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