Tamara
Tamara was the 1816th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 111 babies. Its best year was 1974, when it ranked 64th; the most babies were born in 1970 (4,721). Over the last ten years it has moved down 501 places. More babies were named Tamara in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning date palm (from Tamar) · Russian, Georgian, Hebrew
Say it tuh-MAR-uh /təˈmɑɹə/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,816 girls, up 23 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 111girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19704,721 babies
- Total since 1880
- 131,703babies recorded
What does the name Tamara mean?
Tamara is of Slavic use, mainly Russian Tamara, the name of Queen Tamar of Georgia (12th-13th century), who is venerated as a saint, as Wiktionary and DMNES note. It is cognate with the biblical Tamar, from Hebrew tamar 'date palm'; Tamar is the daughter-in-law of Judah in Genesis 38 and a daughter of King David. Tamara has been in regular English use since the mid-20th century.
תָּמָר (tamar) (Biblical Hebrew, “date palm”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Tamar, Tammy, Tamra, Mara.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean tree.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Tamara', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Tamar', DMNES (Durham University)
- Hebrew Bible, Genesis 38:6 (Sefaria, with JPS translation), Sefaria
Nicknames for Tamara
The usual nicknames for Tamara are Tammy and Tami. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Tamara in the last five years, 29 were named Tammy, against 30 twenty years earlier.
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Tamaras go by each one.
Tamara popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 417 since 1957.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,816 | 111 |
| 2020 | #1,839 | 107 |
| 2010 | #1,081 | 231 |
| 2000 | #417 | 681 |
| 1990 | #209 | 1,381 |
| 1980 | #108 | 2,808 |
| 1970 | #79 | 4,721 |
| 1960 | #124 | 3,665 |
| 1950 | #407 | 387 |
| 1940 | #516 | 179 |
| 1930 | #3,031 | 10 |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Tamara, counting every spelling?
Tamara is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,634 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,816 for Tamara on its own. Together these spellings went to 111 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tamara | 111 | #1,816 | 561 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Tamara?
111 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Tamara (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Tamara born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 76 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Tamara.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Tamara?
About 119,600 people born in the US named Tamara are alive today, with a median age of 53; half are between 43 and 61. That makes Tamara mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Tamara by state
How common Tamara was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Jersey (2.2×), Florida (2.0×), New York (1.6×). In 40 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Tamara: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Tamara, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Tamara · Sibling names for Tamara
Questions about the name Tamara
What does Tamara mean?
Tamara means “date palm (from Tamar)” (Russian, Georgian, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Tamara?
Tamara was the 1816th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 111 babies. Its best year was 1974, when it ranked 64th; the most babies were born in 1970 (4,721). Over the last ten years it has moved down 501 places. More babies were named Tamara in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Tamara a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Tamara in the US.
Where is Tamara most popular?
In 2021–2025, Tamara was most common in New Jersey (0.15 per 1,000 girls), followed by Florida and New York.