Names go in and out of fashion, but a strong Irish name is always a sound choice.
We admittedly might be a bit biased in this regard, but it seems that the rest of the US actually agrees.
The Social Security Administration recently released data on the most popular names of the past century – their ranking and the frequency with which they were used. From 1915 through much of the 20th century, the most popular names are the tried and true traditional ones: Mary, John, Barbara, Michael, Linda, David, Helen, James, Lisa, Matthew and so on.
But as of 2014, an Irish name has joined the rankings.
Which one?
Liam, of course!
Liam is a shortened form of Uilliam, the Irish form of William, a Germanic name made of two words meaning “desire” and “protection.”
So what accounts for Liam’s surge in popularity?
"Entertainment is influencing baby naming more than ever," says BabyNames.com founder, Jennifer Moss has previously said. "We're seeing celebrity names and character names flooding the popularity charts. The name Liam, for example, started to become popular after the actor Liam Neeson, but then jumped to number one when Liam Hemsworth came on the scene."
In 2014, Liam was the second most popular baby name in the US, with 18,342 new Liams running about. First was Noah, at, 19,144, and third was Mason, at 17,092.
The most popular names for girls were Emma (20,799), Olivia (19,674), and Sophia (18,490).
Read more: Irish baby first names that are super popular in the US
Do you anticipate any other Irish names ranking among the most popular in years to come? Share your predictions in the comment section at the bottom of the page.
Here’s the full list of the most popular names from the last 100 years, according to the US Social Security Administration.
1915
Female
Mary, 58,187
Helen, 30,866
Dorothy, 25,154
Male
John, 47,577
William, 38,563
James, 33,776
1925
Female
Mary, 70,601
Dorothy, 38,574
Betty, 32,817
Male
Robert, 60,903
John, 57,191
William, 53,298
1935
Female
Mary, 55,067
Shirley, 42,357
Barbara, 30,690
Male
Robert, 56,514
James, 54,986
John, 47,492
1945
Female
Mary, 59,284
Linda, 41,465
Barbara, 38,272
Male
James, 74,450
Robert, 69,926
John, 66,123
1955
Female
Mary, 63,160
Deborah, 52,311
Linda, 51,275
Male
Michael, 88,283
David, 86,191
James, 84,130
1965
Female
Lisa, 60,268
Mary, 34,270
Karen, 32,874
Male
Michael, 81,048
John, 71,563
David, 67,886
1975
Female
Jennifer, 58,185
Amy, 32,252
Heather, 24,305
Male
Michael, 68,457
Jason, 52,199
Christopher, 46,587
1985
Female
Jessica, 48,346
Ashley, 47,006
Jennifer, 42,649
Male
Michael, 64,887
Christopher, 59,583
Matthew, 47,050
1995
Female
Jessica, 27,938
Ashley, 26,603
Emily, 24,377
Male
Michael, 41,403
Matthew, 32,874
Christopher, 32,668
2005
Female
Emily, 23,928
Emma, 20,334
Madison, 19,561
Male
Jacob, 25,814
Michael, 23,795
Joshua, 23,237
2014
Female
Emma, 20,799
Olivia, 19,674
Sophia, 18,490
Male
Noah, 19,144
Liam, 18,342
Mason, 17,092
* Originally published in September 2015.
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