When it comes to baby boy names, Liam can’t be beat. It has taken the top spot on the list of most popular choices for the past four years, and has been in the top 20 since 2011. (Overall, these are — so far — the most popular baby names of the 21st century.)
What makes Liam so popular? A shortened version of the Germanic name William, which rose in popularity in the English-speaking world after the Norman invasion of England in 1066, perhaps it goes back centuries to its original meaning, signifying strength and protection.
Liam first appeared on boy name charts in the U.S. in 1967, but didn’t become widespread until the mid-1990s. Coincidentally or not, that was around the time that the Irish actor Liam Neeson achieved fame, which could have influenced more parents.
To identify the most popular baby boy names in 2020, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the total number of births for each name with five or more occurrences in 2020 as recorded by the Social Security Administration. (Names with fewer than five occurrences are not tracked by the SSA in order to protect anonymity.)
Click here to see America’s 50 most popular baby names for boys in 2020
In addition to Liam, the name William appears high on the list, at No. 5, with Noah, Oliver, and Elijah rounding out the top quintet. One new moniker in the top 50, though only at No. 49, is Maverick. Other comparative rarities include Jaxon, Hudson, and Jayden. At the same time, though, such traditional male names as James, Benjamin, Henry, and Alexander remain strong. (These were the most popular never-before-seen names in 2020.)
Source: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
50. Josiah
> Birth count 2020: 6,077
> Pictured: Josiah Warren, Writer
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49. Maverick
> Birth count 2020: 6,088
> Pictured: Maverick Baker, Musician
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Source: © JD (de.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 3.0 DE , via Wikimedia Commons
48. Jaxon
> Birth count 2020: 6,107
> Pictured: Jaxon Benge, Musician
Source: Carlos Alvarez / Getty Images
47. Christopher
> Birth count 2020: 6,143
> Pictured: Christopher Cross, Musician
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Source: John & Charles Watkins / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
46. Charles
> Birth count 2020: 6,186
> Pictured: Charles Dickens, Writer
Source: Hulton Archive / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
45. Thomas
> Birth count 2020: 6,386
> Pictured: Thomas Edison, Inventor
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Source: Theo Wargo / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
44. Ezra
> Birth count 2020: 6,745
> Pictured: Ezra Koenig, Musician
43. Dylan
> Birth count 2020: 6,788
> Pictured: Dylan McDermott, Actor
Source: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
42. Hudson
> Birth count 2020: 6,807
> Pictured: Hudson Stuck, Climber
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Source: Timothy Hiatt / Getty Images
41. Anthony
> Birth count 2020: 6,966
> Pictured: Anthony Hopkins, Actor
Source: Brent Lewin / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
40. Lincoln
> Birth count 2020: 6,998
> Pictured: Lincoln Lewis, Actor
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Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images
39. Isaac
> Birth count 2020: 7,060
> Pictured: Isaac Newton, Inventor
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Source: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
38. Gabriel
> Birth count 2020: 7,066
> Pictured: Gabriel Iglesias, Comedian
Source: Courtesy of Jayden Antwi-Nyame
37. Jayden
> Birth count 2020: 7,102
> Pictured: Jayden Antwi-Nyame, Soccer Player
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Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images
36. Leo
> Birth count 2020: 7,159
> Pictured: Leo Tolstoy, Author
Source: Grant Halverson / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
35. Grayson
> Birth count 2020: 7,424
> Pictured: Grayson Allen, Basketball Player
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Source: Jack Taylor / Getty Images News via Getty Images
34. Julian
> Birth count 2020: 7,488
> Pictured: Julian Assange, Editor
Source: Courtesy of Carter Sharer
33. Carter
> Birth count 2020: 7,511
> Pictured: Carter Sharer, YouTube Personality
Source: Emma McIntyre / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
32. Asher
> Birth count 2020: 7,606
> Pictured: Asher Angel, Actor
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Source: Marianna Massey / Getty Images
31. Luke
> Birth count 2020: 7,734
> Pictured: Luke Bryan, Musician
Source: Brendon Thorne / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
30. Matthew
> Birth count 2020: 8,052
> Pictured: Matthew McConaughey, Actor
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Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
29. Wyatt
> Birth count 2020: 8,135
> Pictured: Wyatt Earp, Lawman
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Source: Evening Standard / Getty Images
28. David
> Birth count 2020: 8,153
> Pictured: David Bowie, Musician
Source: Harry Benson / Getty Images
27. John
> Birth count 2020: 8,180
> Pictured: John Lennon, Musician
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Source: Rich Fury / Getty Images
26. Joseph
> Birth count 2020: 8,349
> Pictured: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Actor
Source: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com
25. Samuel
> Birth count 2020: 8,488
> Pictured: Samuel L. Jackson, Actor
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Source: Courtesy of Aiden Flowers
24. Aiden
> Birth count 2020: 8,534
> Pictured: Aiden Flowers, Actor
Source: Photos.com / Getty Images
23. Theodore
> Birth count 2020: 8,558
> Pictured: Theodore Roosevelt, US President
Source: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com
22. Owen
> Birth count 2020: 8,623
> Pictured: Owen Wilson, Actor
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Source: Brendon Thorne / Getty Images
21. Jack
> Birth count 2020: 8,876
> Pictured: Jack Black, Actor
Source: Marco Luzzani / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
20. Mateo
> Birth count 2020: 8,900
> Pictured: Mateo Musacchio, Soccer Player
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19. Sebastian
> Birth count 2020: 8,927
> Pictured: Sebastian Stan, Actor
18. Levi
> Birth count 2020: 9,005
> Pictured: Levi Miller, Actor
Source: Carl Court / Getty Images News via Getty Images
17. Jackson
> Birth count 2020: 9,051
> Pictured: Jackson Pollock, Artist
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Source: Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
16. Logan
> Birth count 2020: 9,086
> Pictured: Logan Lerman, Actor
Source: Christopher Polk / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
15. Jacob
> Birth count 2020: 9,196
> Pictured: Jacob Tremblay, Actor
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Source: Craig Barritt / Getty Images
14. Daniel
> Birth count 2020: 9,419
> Pictured: Daniel Kaluuya, Actor
Source: Jason Merritt/TERM / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
13. Ethan
> Birth count 2020: 9,464
> Pictured: Ethan Hawke, Actor
Source: Phil Walter / Getty Images
12. Michael
> Birth count 2020: 9,717
> Pictured: Michael Jackson, Musician
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Source: Ken Kragen & Friends-management / Wikimedia Commons
11. Mason
> Birth count 2020: 10,029
> Pictured: Mason Williams, Musician
10. Alexander
> Birth count 2020: 10,151
> Pictured: Alexander Hamilton, Statesman
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9. Henry
> Birth count 2020: 10,705
> Pictured: Henry Cavill, Actor
Source: Антон Зайцев, CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons
8. Lucas
> Birth count 2020: 11,281
> Pictured: Lucas Sebastián Torreira Di Pascua, Soccer Player
Source: Courtesy of THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY DIGITAL COLLECTIONS
7. Benjamin
> Birth count 2020: 12,136
> Pictured: Benjamin Franklin, Statesman
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Source: Larry Busacca / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
6. James
> Birth count 2020: 12,250
> Pictured: James Marsden, Actor
Source: Scott Barbour / Getty Images News via Getty Images
5. William
> Birth count 2020: 12,541
> Pictured: William Shakespeare, Playwright
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Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
4. Elijah
> Birth count 2020: 13,034
> Pictured: Elijah Wood, Actor
Source: Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
3. Oliver
> Birth count 2020: 14,147
> Pictured: Oliver Phelps, Actor
Source: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
2. Noah
> Birth count 2020: 18,252
> Pictured: Noah Centineo, Actor
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Source: Francois Durand / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
1. Liam
> Birth count 2020: 19,659
> Pictured: Liam Neeson, Actor
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