Recent in Baby
When Baby Resists SolidsWhen Baby Resists SolidsBaby Biting TipsBaby Biting Tips5 Tips To Help Prevent Highchair Injuries5 Tips To Help Prevent Highchair InjuriesWhen Baby and Pet MeetWhen Baby and Pet MeetTreatments for ColicTreatments for ColicBaby Milestones – The First YearBaby Milestones – The First YearTips for Relieving Teething PainTips for Relieving Teething PainBenefits of Making Your Own Baby FoodBenefits of Making Your Own Baby Food

Home › Baby Names Directory › Tamotsu

Tamotsu

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Tamotsu

Pronounced tah-MOH-tsoo /taˈmoʊtsu/Medium

Meaning: Tamotsu is a Japanese boy's name taken from the verb 'tamotsu', meaning 'to keep', 'to hold' or 'to protect and preserve'. As a given name it carries the sense of steadfastness and guarding what matters, and it was borne by Japanese American men of the early twentieth century.Medium

In 30 seconds: Tamotsu is a Japanese boy's name meaning 'to protect' or 'to keep', borne by Japanese American men in the early twentieth century, said tah-MOH-tsoo.
💕 Browse more names
Made for Tamotsu
Tamotsu
Custom knit blankets, embroidered with his name.
See Tamotsu blankets
Amazon affiliate link
mamaraya
Affiliate link
🍼
Essentials for baby
Baby care from Dr. Talbot’s
Bottles, diapering, bath and nasal care — 23 picks.
Dr. Talbot’s · affiliate link
Shop baby essentials
Origin MediumJapanese
MeaningTamotsu is a Japanese boy's name taken from the verb 'tamotsu', meaning 'to keep', 'to hold' or 'to protect and preserve'. As a given name it carries the sense of steadfastness and guarding what matters, and it was borne by Japanese American men of the early twentieth century.
U.S. rank (1932)#3735 ↘ Falling
1932 U.S. births6 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1923
Total births (all-time)≈ 199
🌸
Essentials for mom
What she’ll actually want in week one
Peri-bottle, nursing pads, postpartum ice packs — 29 picks from Dr. Talbot’s.
Dr. Talbot’s · affiliate link
Shop mom essentials

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192319151932

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

Tamotsu appears in early-twentieth-century United States records among Japanese American families, drawn from a verb meaning 'to protect' or 'to preserve'. Men who carried it belonged largely to the immigrant and second-generation communities of the era.

The name was always rare in the national figures, reaching only a couple dozen boys a year around the early nineteen-twenties, and its recorded use here narrowed around the Second World War. A man named Tamotsu from that time would be of a great-grandfather's generation now; the name remains a heritage choice tied to Japanese families.

Did you know? Tamotsu comes straight from a Japanese verb meaning 'to keep' or 'to protect', so the name itself reads as a quiet promise of steadfastness.
Overall data confidence 60%
References - Tamotsu — Japanese verb tamotsu 'to keep, protect'; romaji only

Variations

TamotsuTamonMamoru

Nicknames

Tam

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Tamotsu…

Isamu— a like Japanese boy's name of the era
Minoru— a familiar Japanese verb-based name
Susumu— a similar Japanese name meaning to advance
Torao— another Japanese name
Tetsuo— another vintage pick

Explore names like Tamotsu

By themevintagejapanese

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Tamotsu mean?

It is a Japanese name from a verb meaning 'to keep', 'to hold' or 'to protect'.

How do you pronounce Tamotsu?

It's said tah-MOH-tsoo /taˈmoʊtsu/, three syllables, stress on the second.

Is Tamotsu a boy or girl name?

Tamotsu is used as a boy's name.

Is Tamotsu a popular name?

No, it has always been rare in America, a Japanese name used mainly by Japanese American families in the early twentieth century.

💬 Ask Nia