Liam named most popular boy's name in New York for 2020

Liam has been named the most popular baby boy's name in New York and the United States for 2020, continuing a growing trend for the Irish name around the globe. 

A total of 682 Liams were born in New York in 2020, roughly twice the number of Liams born in Ireland in the same year, according to the New York City Council.

The Council revealed that Liam has topped the baby name charts in the city since 2016, while Emma has remained the most popular girl's name since 2017. 

Liam was also recently confirmed as the most popular baby boy's name in the state of Arizona for 2021, a position it has held since 2016. 

It was also the most popular name in the Canadian province of New Brunswick last year, with 379 Liams born in the region since 2015. 

The Irish Consulate also revealed that Liam is the second most popular name in Sweden, while it has also found popularity in Germany, where more than 3,800 Liams were born in 2019. 

German naming researcher Knud Bielefeld told the Guardian in October 2020 that the fame of celebrities such as Irish actor Liam Neeson and former Oasis star Liam Gallagher could have inspired the name's newfound popularity around the globe. 

"Film and pop stars can have a delayed impact on naming patterns, as parents act on a subconscious affinity to names they developed in their teens," Bielefeld said, adding that the most popular middle name for German Liams is Noel. 

However, name expert Simone Berchtold Schiestl told the Guardian that parents from continental Europe were more than likely unaware of the name's Irish origins. 

"Parents care less and less where a name comes from, and more and more that it sounds nice," she said.