Tristan vs Liam
How Tristan and Liam compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
Tristan
Male · Celtic
Meaning: Tumult: Outcry. From The Celtic Name Tristan. In Arthurian Legend Tristan Was A Knight Of The Round Table And Tragic Hero Of The Medieval Tale Tristram And Isolde.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Tristan (boys) vs Liam (boys), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Tristan | Liam |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 2008 — 5,659 boys | 2024 — 22,164 boys |
| Peak rank | #81 | #1 |
| Most recent rank (2025) | #309 (1,103 births) | #1 (20,818 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 108,969 | 343,615 |
| Last 10 years (2016–2025) | 22,066 | 202,429 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Liam reached 22,164 US births in 2024 — 16,505 more than Tristan's peak count.
Crossover Years
Years where one name first passed the other in annual US births. A name "winning" in a year means it had more births that year, not necessarily a higher rank.
| Year | New leader | Tristan births | Liam births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Liam | 3,481 | 3,827 |
| 2006 | Tristan | 5,414 | 4,514 |
| 2008 | Liam | 5,659 | 5,980 |
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's boys-name list.
Tristan — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | #114 | 327 |
| 2 | South Carolina | #132 | 428 |
| 3 | Virginia | #140 | 698 |
| 4 | Georgia | #141 | 948 |
| 5 | Alaska | #143 | 53 |
Liam — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | #1 | 1,758 |
| 2 | New Jersey | #1 | 6,079 |
| 3 | Florida | #1 | 14,195 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | #1 | 1,983 |
| 5 | New York | #1 | 12,930 |
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Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →