Hello! Would appreciate any thoughts/perspective on using [name_m]William[/name_m] as the formal given name and calling our little guy [name_m]Liam[/name_m] or just naming his [name_m]Liam[/name_m] outright. I’ve been thinking about this way too much and I’m really on the fence!
Siblings are [name_f]Stella[/name_f] and [name_f]Elise[/name_f]. Our last name is three syllables and challenging to pronounce (has an “L” in first syllable, an “S” and long “I” sound in the middle, and ends with “TIS”). His first middle name is two syllables, starting with a “Y” sound and ending in “AS”. Second middle name carries through an “S” sound and is also two syllables. I like the options as he grows with [name_m]William[/name_m], but do not prefer some of the traditional nicknames associated with it. I also like that [name_m]Liam[/name_m] is short and goes along with the shortness of our entire family’s names (husbands is 4 letters and one syllable, mine is 4 letters and two syllables). The popularity of both names doesn’t bother us ([name_m]William[/name_m] is actually more popular in our part of the country than [name_m]Liam[/name_m]), since we have such a unique last name and the total number of babies getting the popular names is much lower than when we were growing up.
I personally prefer [name_m]Liam[/name_m]. I actually adore [name_m]Liam[/name_m]. I think both [name_m]William[/name_m] and [name_m]Liam[/name_m] go with [name_f]Stella[/name_f] and [name_f]Elise[/name_f]. I am personally for naming your child what they will be called. If you will always be using [name_m]Liam[/name_m], I would go with [name_m]Liam[/name_m]. If you would use both, choose [name_m]William[/name_m].
I would definitely go with [name_m]William[/name_m] on the birth certificate. For one thing, to me, using the nickname on the birth certificate just feels incomplete - even if it is what you will always call him. For another thing, [name_m]William[/name_m] is a lovely, timeless name. As you said, it isn’t a matter of popularity; both [name_m]William[/name_m] and [name_m]Liam[/name_m] are very popular, but that doesn’t mean they will be used by many in your circle or that you should care if they are. But [name_m]William[/name_m] has consistent popularity and never sounds dated. [name_m]Liam[/name_m] might in a decade or so.
I’m usually not a fan of nickname names as formal names, but [name_m]Liam[/name_m] is one I actually don’t mind that much as a formal name, and I think [name_m]Liam[/name_m] goes better in a sibset with [name_f]Stella[/name_f] and [name_f]Elise[/name_f] (another nickname name I don’t mind as a formal).
That being said, we personally went the [name_m]William[/name_m]-nicknamed-[name_m]Liam[/name_m] route, but [name_m]Liam[/name_m] is much more popular than [name_m]William[/name_m] in our state. When we met another [name_m]Liam[/name_m] (just [name_m]Liam[/name_m]), it was nice that we had [name_m]William[/name_m] and [name_m]Will[/name_m] to fall back on to make things less confusing. I also like that he has other options if he decides he doesn’t like [name_m]Liam[/name_m]. Like you, there are some [name_m]William[/name_m] nicknames I’m not really wild about, but if he does want to go by one of those names when he’s older, I’ll live. (I don’t think it’s likely, though, since [name_m]Bill[/name_m] is just not very stylish nowadays.)
[name_m]William[/name_m] goes better in the sibset with [name_f]Stella[/name_f] and [name_f]Elise[/name_f] to me. I love [name_m]William[/name_m], it is a timeless classic and I think [name_m]Liam[/name_m] doesn’t have that. If you call him [name_m]Liam[/name_m] as a nickname, he won’t get [name_m]Will[/name_m] or [name_u]Willie[/name_u]. He’ll get [name_m]Liam[/name_m]. And when he grows, he can decide to go by [name_m]William[/name_m] or [name_m]Liam[/name_m]. I think [name_m]William[/name_m] is a better option.
I am always a fan of longer names. Both [name_m]William[/name_m] and [name_m]Liam[/name_m] are great names. I feel like with your last name [name_m]Liam[/name_m] is the way to go, but as I said, I am a sucker for longer names. When Your son is born, [name_m]Liam[/name_m] can be solely what you call him from the get go nipping the other [name_m]William[/name_m] nicknames out. However, one day down the line he may decides he dislikes the name [name_m]Liam[/name_m], or something may happen making him want to go by something different. Or he may just ‘not be a [name_m]Liam[/name_m]’ as time goes by. A comrade of mine has a young grandson named [name_m]William[/name_m], he was suppose to a [name_m]Liam[/name_m], but it just didn’t fit with his personality, nor did [name_m]Will[/name_m] or [name_m]Willy[/name_m] or [name_m]Bill[/name_m] Ect. His parents had their hearts set on [name_m]Liam[/name_m], and everyone in the family agreed it was “the perfect name”. But after he was born and some time went on, the parents as well as everyone else in the family felt he was not a [name_m]Liam[/name_m]. So his parents started to call him [name_m]William[/name_m] which seemed to suit him much better.
I like the name [name_m]Liam[/name_m], just [name_m]Liam[/name_m], but I guess it’s always nice to keep the options open “just in case”. But either way, you can’t go wrong.
I was in my 20s before I even realised the origin of [name_m]Liam[/name_m] was as a short version of [name_m]William[/name_m]. I knew a few Liams growing up as it used to be very popular in the 90s in my country (UK) and it honestly just never occurred to me (they were definitely not [name_m]Williams[/name_m] called [name_m]Liam[/name_m]). So to me it doesn’t seem like a nickname name really or at all juvenile. I think it’s fine and well-established as a standalone name that could work on someone of any age.
Usually I don’t particularly care for obvious nickname names but I just don’t think [name_m]Liam[/name_m] is one of those. If that’s the name you really like, just use it. No point in lengthening it just because.
I prefer [name_m]William[/name_m] myself, but [name_m]Liam[/name_m] is established as a full name now. By the time he’s an adult, there’ll be grandparents (and great grandparents) with the name. If anyone has a problem with it, they can take it up with [name_m]Liam[/name_m] Neeson.
Here are some other nicknames often used as full names :
[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] (short for [name_f]Carla[/name_f] /[name_f]Carola[/name_f]/ [name_f]Carole[/name_f])
[name_f]Megan[/name_f], [name_f]Margot[/name_f] ([name_f]Margaret[/name_f])
[name_f]Nancy[/name_f] ([name_f]Anne[/name_f]/[name_f]Anna[/name_f])
[name_u]Marion[/name_u] ([name_f]Mary[/name_f])
[name_f]Juliet[/name_f]/[name_f]Juliana[/name_f] (Guilia/[name_u]Julie[/name_u])
[name_f]Isabella[/name_f], [name_u]Lisa[/name_u], [name_f]Elsa[/name_f], [name_f]Elise[/name_f] ([name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f])
We do tend to give girls diminutives as full names than boys, but that’s a rant for another time.
To me [name_m]Liam[/name_m] fits well with names like [name_f]Megan[/name_f] and [name_f]Elise[/name_f] - they have a long history as nicknames, and they’ve been found on birth certificates for a few generations now. I was born in the late 80s (in Australia) and went to school with several Liams (and one Stella and one Elise).
[name_m]William[/name_m]'s lovely, and nickname options are wonderful but no one will stop him using those nicknames if he wants to (I know a [name_m]Tim[/name_m] whose nickname is [name_m]Timothy[/name_m], and an [name_f]Anna[/name_f] who’s often called [name_f]Annabel[/name_f] or [name_f]Belle[/name_f]). [name_m]Liam[/name_m] is a name in its own right now. If [name_f]Elise[/name_f] is the name on his sister’s birth certificate then I think [name_m]Liam[/name_m] would work well for you.
Sorry again for the length. Good luck with the decision, and congratulations!