We are expecting our first child, a baby boy, this August.
My husband’s far and away favorite name is Liam. While I am not opposed to the name, I worry about its current popularity, including that our child will be one of several Liams in his class, and and how it may seem dated in 10-20 years. I tend to gravitate toward names that are more timeless or have vintage charm.
I recently learned that Liam can be a nickname for William. So, as a compromise, I’ve suggested naming our boy William, and calling him Liam, with the idea that if the name falls out of fashion, our child could opt to use William or another variation of that name. My husband is not convinced by this, and thinks it will be confusing to give him the name William while expecting people to call him Liam.
My name is Katherine, and I’ve gone by Katy my whole life, so I see no issue with having a nickname.
Our last name sounds like McKeg, and I think both Liam and William sound equally nice with the last name.
Other top choices for boy names include James, Thomas, and Henry.
Top choices for a middle name include Michael, Thomas, and Xavier.
Any input you have would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Katy
The name Liam is currently a common nickname for William. It will only be confusing to the same category of people who say with genuine surprise “But that’s an old man / old lady name!” about vintage revival names in the Top 10.
If Liam is far and away your husband’s favorite name, and you are offering this perfectly reasonable compromise that makes the name work for you (as well as making it a much better fit with the other boy names on your list), I am feeling pretty cranky that he is “not convinced.” If he continues to insist it has to be his own exact top choice with no adjustments, and/or that a perfectly ordinary and familiar name/nickname combination might be confusing for others, I would be inclined to say that in that case the name has to be out of the running, and the two of you should decide together on James, Thomas, or Henry.
If you do decide on William/Liam, I like either Thomas or Xavier for the middle name, only because Liam Michael blends for me into Leah Michael—which likely won’t be a daily issue, so if Michael is your definite favorite, I don’t think this has to be a dealbreaker. Just, if you’re equally fond of all three, I’d lean away from the M- one.
Which brings me to something more likely to be a daily issue, which is Liam with the surname. Henry has a friend named Liam Matthews (always called Liam Matthews because there are several Liams in the grade); and, because I knew who I was talking about, “Liam Matthews” didn’t at first sound like Leah Matthews to me. But my mother thought for a long time that Henry had a friend named Leah, and a bunch of times Paul thought we were talking about someone named Leah. It was a persistent enough issue that I started saying “Liam (Liam Matthews)” instead of just “Liam Matthews.” If your surname really does start with M, it’s something to be aware of—particularly because he will almost certainly be known as Liam McKeg or Liam M. to distinguish him from other Liams.
I personally know two Liams, both of whom use it as a nickname for William. I think it’s a great option for you to use in order to make the name workable for you both. I love the name William and we will most likely use it for our next child if we were to have another boy. My son’s name is James so I also think that’s a wonderful choice :)
My 13 year old son is a William with the nickname Liam. He’s never had an issue with it – he tells his teachers on the first day of school and that’s the end of the story. We, too, wanted to give him the option of a more formal name if he wanted it, but so far he’s happy with the nickname and actually prefers it as there are three Williams in his grade and only one other Liam.
I think William with Liam is a great idea, and a fine compromise for you and your husband. I’m not sure I understand your husband’s concerns about it being confusing for other people. My guess is maybe he doesn’t care for William? Or maybe is concerned people will use another nickname instead of Liam? IDK, I think some additional conversations might be helpful, and I agree with Swistle that if the William/Liam compromise won’t work for him-both need to be off the table.
I am also much less concerned about Liam M-initial being confused for Leah. A pause in between first & last will help a lot. Anyone meeting your won is likely to understand that he’s probably not named Leah. And even if/when it happens that someone thinks his name is Leah, I don’t think that’s a deal breaker situation-a smile and correction will take care of any confusion.
I have always understood Liam as being a nickname derived from the same source as William. So naming him Liam is akin to having named you Katy instead of Katherine nicknamed Katy. I do think this is one of those names people often assume is formally William (like my mom is Beth and people always think her legal name is Bethany or Elizabeth.).
Furthermore, this is a very adequate compromise and your husband should do the same.
Liam sounds like a stand-alone name to me in ways that Katy or Billy wouldn’t. I think it’ll work nicely.
Try not to worry too much about it’s popularity; I think there’s only one Liam in my son’s grade at his school (that’s across 3 classes.) Meanwhile, my daughter Susan goes to nursery with a Suzette, lol. Neither name was given more than a few hundred girls that year, and here are Susan and Suzy, born 3 weeks apart, playing together every Sunday (well, not right now. Stupid virus) *shrugs* life is weird sometimes, lol
Also Liam’s been pretty popular for a couple of decades now. I saw a fair few when I was subbing 2000-2005. I don’t think it’ll be all that dated any more than William is.
I like William as the full name better. I might assume any Liam I met was a William anyway. Also, it makes a better sibling name if you have another son and want to use James, Thomas, or Henry. I think William Xavier is quite dashing, but the other middles go well, too.
My sister’s nephew (the son of her husband’s sister) is an older teen-aged Liam, and I originally assumed his formal name was William, but it’s not. I prefer William nn Liam, because it gives him so many options when he’s an adult, much like being an Elizabeth gave me.
However, if it’s exactly that freedom to NOT be a Liam that is giving your husband pause, you might want to take it off the table and go with James, Thomas, or Henry.
I don’t understand where the confusion may be? Liam is a pretty established nn for William. Heck lots of kids go by nns not associated with their formal first name at all. So why concern about confusion? If you can answer that, maybe you get closer to the root of your hubby’s concern about William as the formal name.
For example, it could simply be that William feels so traditional and by default less contemporary (thus in his mind less cool) than Liam. And maybe he want his son to be cool, trendy, socially adept etc etc which makes him gravitate to Liam over William. But frankly neither of you control any of that. I knew a dorky Thor growing up. Hard to be Thor when you are neither ripped nor socially inclined.
Point being, are hubby’s name selections being dictated by his goals for his son vice his views on actual names? We all do this to a degree — picking a literary name because we aspire for a scholar, or a nature name because we are passionate environmentalists, etc. But understanding it helps find the best name compromise.
First kids are hard because you are defining yourself as a parent and thinking, likey for the first time, about what you hope for the generation that follows you. You want to give your son the ability to adapt, to become his own self. Hubby may want to lock him into a certain future, which he maybe he believes will lead to success. Both are right, neither is wrong.
You both are so close to the same everyday answer — Liam– you just need to do a little more work on the whys to figure out the formal name.
Maybe the husband is not sure Liam is an established nickname for William. If he never paid attention to names before this and hasn’t encountered it in real life he may just not be aware. Mine doesn’t believe me when I suggest Mary nicknamed Molly, Margaret/Daisy, Robert/Bo, Josephine/Poppy. He thinks I’ve made these nicknames up because he has never heard of them. So I think you may ask why he is not sure about such a reasonable compromise.
I have a middle schooler and a 4th grader, so smack dab in Liam’s name range – and I know one kid named Liam. None in either kid’s elementary classes, just asked my 13 yo if she knows any besides the one I mentioned – nope. So Liam M. is not a given.