Tama

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Tama

Pronounced TAH-muh /ˈtɑː.mə/Medium

Meaning: Tama is most plausibly a short form of Tamara, from Hebrew tamar, 'date palm,' a biblical symbol of grace and fruitfulness. A separate Japanese word tama, 'jewel, ball,' exists but the American name reads as a trimmed Tamara; we note the Hebrew route as primary.Low

In 30 seconds: Tama is most likely a short Tamara — the Hebrew 'date palm' (said 'TAH-muh'). A trim two-beat name that peaked around 1959.

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Origin LowHebrew

MeaningTama is most plausibly a short form of Tamara, from Hebrew tamar, 'date palm,' a biblical symbol of grace and fruitfulness. A separate Japanese word tama, 'jewel, ball,' exists but the American name reads as a trimmed Tamara; we note the Hebrew route as primary.

U.S. rank (2006)#19755 ↘ Falling

2006 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1959

Total births (all-time)≈ 1,433

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Tama reads mainly as a short form of Tamara, from Hebrew tamar, 'date palm.' Uncommon in America throughout its run, it drew its steadiest use around 1959, its peak at close to a hundred girls a year, riding the era's fondness for tidy Ta- names.

A woman named Tama at that peak is in her sixties today. Novelist Tama Janowitz kept the name in view in the eighties. It never spread widely and reads as a slim mid-century name of likely Hebrew root, which we note; Tamara and Tammy are its nearest kin.

Did you know? Tama most likely trims Tamara, whose root tamar is the biblical 'date palm' — though it happens to match a Japanese word for 'jewel,' the American name traces to the Hebrew.

Overall data confidence 50%

References — Tama — Likely short form of Tamara (Hb 'date palm'); bearer Tama Janowitz

Variations

TamaraTammy

Nicknames

Tam

Famous Bearers

★Tama Janowitz (1957–present)
American novelist associated with 1980s literary New York

If you like Tama…

Tamara— the fuller parent name Tama shortens

Tammy— a same-family short form of Tamara

Tana— a like trim two-beat Ta- name

Mara— a like short Hebrew-rooted girl's name

Explore names like Tama

By themeuncertain hebrew nickname-name mid-century

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Tama mean?

Tama is most likely a short form of Tamara, from the Hebrew for 'date palm'; we note the route.

How do you pronounce Tama?

It's said TAH-muh /ˈtɑː.mə/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Tama a boy or girl name?

Tama is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Tama?

Tama has always been uncommon in the U.S., with its steadiest use in the late fifties; it remains rare.