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!

via GIPHY

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?

via GIPHY

"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

H/T Bustle

* Originally published in September 2015.