Tami
Tami was the 8813th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 12 babies. Its best year was 1959, when it ranked 154th with 2,741 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 4,085 places. More babies were named Tami in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Tammy) pet form of Tamsin or Tamara · English, Aramaic, Hebrew
- Rank in 2025
- #8,813 girls
- Babies in 2025
- 12girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19592,741 babies
- Total since 1880
- 38,017babies recorded
What does the name Tami mean?
Tami is a spelling of Tammy, pronounced the same way, so it shares Tammy's meaning and origin.
Tammy is a pet form of Tamsin (a Cornish form of Thomasina) and Tamara, as Wiktionary notes, and was later used for new names beginning with Tam-. Thomasina is the feminine of Thomas, from Aramaic teʾoma 'twin'; Tamara is from Hebrew tamar 'date palm'. The 1957 film Tammy and the Bachelor and its hit song helped make it very popular in the 1960s.
תְּאוֹמָא (teʾoma) (Aramaic, “twin”)תָּמָר (tamar) (Hebrew, “date palm”)
How sure is this? Well established. Which full name a Tammy comes from varies.
Related names: Tamsin, Tamara, Tami, Thomasina.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Tammy', 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. 'Thomas', DMNES (Durham University)
Tami popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 90 since 1946.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,813 | 12 |
| 2020 | — | — |
| 2010 | #16,767 | 6 |
| 2000 | #4,960 | 24 |
| 1990 | #1,687 | 88 |
| 1980 | #419 | 527 |
| 1970 | #206 | 1,556 |
| 1960 | #176 | 2,259 |
| 1950 | #1,999 | 24 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Tami, counting every spelling?
Tami is a spelling of Tammy, a name family that had 59 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 59 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tammy | 41 | #3,703 | 161 |
| Tami | 12 | #8,813 | 37 |
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 Tami?
12 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Tami (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Tami 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 705 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Tami.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Tami?
About 33,800 people born in the US named Tami are alive today, with a median age of 59; half are between 53 and 65. That makes Tami a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Tami: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Tami, they share its era and feel.
Tami is also a nickname for Tamara.
Questions about the name Tami
What does Tami mean?
Tami is a spelling of Tammy, which means “pet form of Tamsin or Tamara” (English, Aramaic, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Tami?
Tami was the 8813th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 12 babies. Its best year was 1959, when it ranked 154th with 2,741 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 4,085 places. More babies were named Tami in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Tami a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Tami in the US.