Tammy
Tammy was the 3703rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 41 babies. Its best year was 1966, when it ranked 8th; the most babies were born in 1963 (21,199). Over the last ten years it has moved down 115 places. More babies were named Tammy in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Tamsin or Tamara · English, Aramaic, Hebrew
Say it TAM-ee /ˈtæmi/
- Rank in 2025
- #3,703 girls, up 453 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 41girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 196321,199 babies
- Total since 1880
- 333,407babies recorded
What does the name Tammy mean?
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)
Tammy popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,392 since 1938.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,703 | 41 |
| 2020 | #4,156 | 34 |
| 2010 | #2,611 | 70 |
| 2000 | #1,086 | 191 |
| 1990 | #451 | 549 |
| 1980 | #96 | 3,134 |
| 1970 | #8 | 19,587 |
| 1960 | #31 | 14,317 |
| 1950 | #936 | 92 |
| 1940 | #1,840 | 20 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Tammy, counting every spelling?
Tammy is the most common spelling of 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 Tammy?
41 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Tammy (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Tammy 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 204 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Tammy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Tammy?
About 297,900 people born in the US named Tammy are alive today, with a median age of 59; half are between 54 and 63. That makes Tammy 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.
Tammy by state
How common Tammy was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 47 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 Tammy: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Tammy, they share its era and feel.
Tammy is also a nickname for Tamara.
Questions about the name Tammy
What does Tammy mean?
Tammy means “pet form of Tamsin or Tamara” (English, Aramaic, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Tammy?
Tammy was the 3703rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 41 babies. Its best year was 1966, when it ranked 8th; the most babies were born in 1963 (21,199). Over the last ten years it has moved down 115 places. More babies were named Tammy in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Tammy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Tammy in the US.
Where is Tammy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Tammy was most common in New Jersey (0.06 per 1,000 girls), followed by New York and California.