Leiam
A modern invented name potentially derived from the name Liam.
Name Census estimates that about 143 living Americans carry the first name Leiam. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Leiam today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leiam births was 2012 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leiam. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Leiam with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
143
~ 1 in 2,396,883 Americans
Peak year
2012
17 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,741
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Leiam: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leiam from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 102 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leiam by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Leiam during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leiam
The name Leiam has its origins rooted in the ancient Celtic languages spoken across parts of Europe. It is believed to have first emerged around the 5th century AD within the regions that are now known as Ireland and Scotland. The name is derived from the Old Irish word "leam," which means "elm tree" or "elm wood."
Leiam was a relatively common name among the Celtic people, particularly in Ireland, where elm trees held cultural significance. The name was often given to children born near elm groves or during the spring season when the elm trees bloomed. In early Irish folklore and mythology, the elm tree symbolized strength, resilience, and endurance, qualities that were highly valued in Celtic culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leiam can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a Leiam mac Fergusa, who was a prominent chieftain in the Kingdom of Dál Riata (part of modern-day Scotland and Northern Ireland) in the 7th century.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Leiam continued to be popular among the Irish and Scottish Gaelic communities. Notable historical figures bearing this name include Leiam Ó Conchobhair, an Irish poet and scholar who lived in the 14th century, and Leiam mac Domhnaill, a Scottish warrior and chieftain from the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name Leiam gained recognition outside of Celtic regions due to the explorations and writings of Leiam O'Flaherty, an Irish navigator and author who documented his travels to the Americas and other parts of the world.
During the 19th century, Leiam Buidhe (Liam Buidhe in modern Irish spelling), a renowned Irish Gaelic poet and songwriter, gained popularity for his works celebrating Irish culture and traditions.
Another notable figure with the name Leiam was Leiam mac Cárthaigh, an Irish-born military officer who served in the Spanish Army of Flanders during the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648). He is remembered for his bravery and leadership in several battles against the Dutch.
While the name Leiam has its roots in Celtic cultures, it has been adopted and used in various parts of the world over the centuries, though its popularity has waxed and waned in different regions and time periods.
People
Leiam + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leiam as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Leiam: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leiam?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 143 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leiam going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,396,883 US residents.
Is Leiam a common name?
We classify Leiam as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 144 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leiam most popular?
The single biggest year for Leiam was 2012, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leiam is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Leiam in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leiam a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leiam in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Leiam still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leiam in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Leiam can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Leiam?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.