Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

William or Liam?

37 replies

babynamesgrrrrrrrrrrrrr · 16/09/2011 23:05

I had my heart set on Liam for last pregnancy but dc turned out to be a dd so it wasn't used.

This time around I know the sex and it is a ds so was obviously going to use the name but now I'm starting to question it.

Original plan for name was Liam Eric Lastname (eric is family name)

But I'm wondering if Liam is considered a bit chavvy? SO thought about calling him William and Liam for short so if wants to go by William he has the option of a "naice" name or the option of the cool name.

What do you think? Also because William is a bit longer and will "hold it better" we though about adding another middle name (dh's friend who is the reason we are together)

William Eric James Lastname (Liam for short)

What do you think? which of the two names do you prefer?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Takver · 04/10/2011 15:29

Definitely prefer Liam - I would also think of it as Irish rather than as a shortening for William.

Good name, and its usual enough in the UK to be fine whether or not you have Irish heritage IMO.

tammytoby · 04/10/2011 15:11

I prefer Liam too because I don't like the Will nicknames - Will (a verb and someone's last will imo), Willy, Wills (surname) etc.

Ayoop · 04/10/2011 15:08

Liam isn't 'short' for William, though. It's the Irish version of William.

HettyAmaretti · 04/10/2011 15:08

William NN Liam. Many of the shortenings of longer classic names are now names in their own right but I'd still go with the long version, even if you never use it.

Why? Well, DS is (name changed but fair eqivilent) "Charlie" because I hated "Charles", well, we now rather like "Charles" and we call him it as an NN - rather an odd situation. If you like William but want to go with Liam, do it. The full name is much, much nicer with William than Liam.

HeidiHole · 04/10/2011 15:05

William - classic, solid

Liam - 'chavvy'

However could handle William shorted to Liam as a nickname!

Ayoop · 04/10/2011 15:01

No, no, no.

Liam = spunky kid.
William = boring parents

gavel

exoticfruits · 03/10/2011 22:17

William -not Liam.

iceandsliceplease · 03/10/2011 22:15

William is a lovely, lovely name and has always been my favourite name for a boy.
William, Will, Wills, Wilks, Liam, Bill, Billy... lots of nn potential.

It's a classic name that doesn't age or date your DS IMO.

Not at all keen on Liam for some snobby reason. I imagine it to be the name of a round faced boy who punches other kids.

SouthGoingZax · 03/10/2011 22:06

Liam is a naughty boy name.
William is the name of lovely boys.

Ayoop · 03/10/2011 22:03

They are both nice anmes, but I do prefer Liam. I don't think it is 'chavvy' at all. It is Irish.

bess23 · 03/10/2011 19:09

William by far nicer imo

Hulababy · 03/10/2011 19:00

I much prefer William. Not keen on Liam at all tbh.

Lilka · 03/10/2011 18:57

I much prefer Liam. William just makes me think 'Willy'! I also don't think Liam is at all chavvy - not that I could care less if it was anyway! Liam Eric Lastname sounds great. Go with what you like best, IMO, and don't worry about needing a long name

Ihavewelliesbutitssunny · 03/10/2011 11:35

Liam is a great name but I think that it does need William as a full-name to make it more solid and classic.

StellaAndFries · 03/10/2011 11:03

My brother is a Liam and here in West Norfolk it isn't widely used, I certainly wouldn't have assumed it to be chavvy!

Fwiw my db is now 26 and works for a well know bank in the fraud department and has done very well for himself so having a shorted name which some may deem chav certainly hasn't held him back.

pilates · 03/10/2011 10:55

Def William, please don't shorten to Liam. Its a name in it's own right.

William Eric James sounds great.

othersideofchannel · 02/10/2011 21:34

I much prefer Liam because I don't like the 'Will/Willy' part at the beginning of William.

hocuspontas · 02/10/2011 16:05

Meteorite's suggestion is good only if your surname doesn't start with a 'T' Grin

oohlaalaa · 02/10/2011 16:02

I like William shortened to Laim.

Meteorite · 02/10/2011 15:53

William Eric Lastname :) William is stronger and more classic than Liam.

No need for James unless you have particular reason to use it. It's becoming a bit of a default middle name suggestion on here.

justhayley · 02/10/2011 13:33

My fiancé is a William - although only his mum and aunts call him that - he's Will to everyone else. It's tradition in his family for the first boy to be called William - he comes from about 6 generations of them. I'm personally not a fan of the name think it's a bit dated so we were thinking about Liam to kind of continue tradition, I think it's a lovely name but I do think it is a bit chav and that really puts me off! Although his great uncle is a Liam and is a wonderful non chav man!

Superfly · 18/09/2011 00:18

Liam is the short form of the Irish Uilliam. Not chavvy in the slightest. Got a bad rep probably because of the Gallagher one - but I am biased as I named mine because of his heritage. Plus I loved it. As far I am aware, Liam is a name in it's own right - not a nickname for William. That's normally Wills (ugh)

Original poster
babynamesgrrrrrrrrrrrrr · 17/09/2011 13:06

Thanks for everyone's messages. We still aren't 100% sure about which to go for but nice to get an idea on how people will take the name.

OP posts:
RueyBoey · 17/09/2011 12:21

Liam is far nicer than William and doesn't sound chavvy at all. I would have it just as Liam not William nn Liam.
I know that is what use to be done but Liam is a perfectly fine name by itself -something like that falls into the Henry nn harry thing for me which i can't stand.

MelinaM · 16/09/2011 23:46

William is lovelySmile

Swipe left for the next trending thread