Liam vs Paulius

Liam and Pauliuscompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.

Head to head

Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.

Norway · Boys
In 2016, Liam was ranked #8 and Paulius #534 among boys in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2016, Liam was ranked #14 and Paulius #713 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2019, Liam was ranked #74 and Paulius #3411 among boys in England and Wales.

Liam and Paulius over time

Liam and Paulius appear together in 2 published lists, across 22 years of shared records. Liam held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Paulius in 0.

The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.

Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.

Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.

List by list

England and Wales · Boys11 shared years, 1999–2019
Liam held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Paulius in 0.
Highest recorded here: Liam #17 in 1999, Paulius #2270 in 2012.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Liam #74, Paulius #3411.
Norway · Boys11 shared years, 1982–2016
Liam held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Paulius in 5.
Highest recorded here: Liam #8 in 2016, Paulius #208 in 1987.
The order changed in 1995: Liam moved ahead. In 1994 they stood at #488 and #351; by 1995 that had become #456 and #553.
Most recent shared year, 2016: Liam #8, Paulius #534.

Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Liam

Pairs where Liam shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Liam vs Ciaran
In 1964 they stood at #54 and #49 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, 5 places apart; by 2025 they were #7 and #372.
Liam · Ciaran · 61 shared years, 1964–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 Republic of Ireland ranking
Liam vs Darren
In 1997 they stood at #48 and #52 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 4 places apart; by 2024 they were #42 and #404.
Liam · Darren · 24 shared years, 1997–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2024 Northern Ireland ranking
Liam vs Dean
In 1997 they stood at #48 and #45 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 3 places apart; by 2023 they were #52 and #348.
Liam · Dean · 24 shared years, 1997–2023 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2023 Northern Ireland ranking
Liam vs Gary
In 1997 they stood at #48 and #57 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 9 places apart; by 2022 they were #62 and #352.
Liam · Gary · 20 shared years, 1997–2022 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2022 Northern Ireland ranking

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Liam, Paulius
Field	Liam	Paulius
Record type	Editorially researched profile	Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usage	male	male
Meaning	A short form, inheriting its meaning from William — 'resolute protection' or 'will helmet'.	Not yet recorded
Origin	Irish, short form of William (via Uilliam)	Not yet recorded
Pronunciation	/ˈliːəm/	Not yet recorded
Syllables	1	2
Common variants / nicknames	Not yet recorded	Not yet recorded
Recorded regional usage	AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ	GB-ENW, IE, NO
Most recent popularity observation	Norway · Boys #7 (2025)	England and Wales · Boys #3411 (2019)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)	90/100	Not yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)	95/100	82/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)	100/100	100/100
Data Confidence	medium	medium

What the data shows

Liam has a recorded origin (Irish, short form of William (via Uilliam)); Paulius does not have one recorded yet.
Liam has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Paulius.
A meaning is recorded for Liam; Paulius doesn't have one written yet.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.

How each name got here

Liam

Popularity journey

First recorded1964
First recorded at #54 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1986–2023
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New Zealand, in 2010 (recorded 1986–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #15 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys

Paulius

Popularity journey

First recorded1979
First recorded at #508 among boys in Norway in 1979 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1979–2016
Highest recorded position: #208 among boys in Norway, in 1987 (recorded 1979–2016).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2019
Most recently recorded at #3411 among boys in England and Wales, in 2019.
England and Wales · Boys