Tamarah
A feminine name of unclear origin, possibly a variant of the biblical name "Tamar".
Name Census estimates that about 1,215 living Americans carry the first name Tamarah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tamarah today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tamarah births was 1996 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tamarah. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 282,102 Americans
Peak year
1996
38 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2021 SSA rank
#17,424
Tracked since 1957
Popularity
Tamarah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tamarah from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 304 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tamarah by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Tamarah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tamarahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, New York, Florida recorded the most babies named Tamarah, while Ohio, New Jersey, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tamarah
The name Tamarah is believed to have originated from the Hebrew language and culture. It is a feminine variation of the name Tamar, which means "date palm tree" or "palm tree." The name is derived from the Biblical figure Tamar, who was the daughter-in-law of Judah and played a significant role in the lineage of Jesus Christ.
Tamar's story is recounted in the Book of Genesis, where she resorted to deception to ensure the continuation of Judah's lineage after her husband's death. Despite the controversial nature of her actions, Tamar's inclusion in the genealogy of Jesus Christ highlights her importance in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
The earliest recorded use of the name Tamarah dates back to the 17th century, but it is likely that variations of the name were used earlier. One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Tamarah was Tamarah Buckminster Kneeland (1670-1733), an American midwife and herbalist known for her expertise in obstetrics and natural remedies.
In the 19th century, Tamarah Mercer (1810-1887) was an American poet and writer who gained recognition for her work on Native American themes. Her poetry collection, "Legends of the Northwest," published in 1868, celebrated the traditions and folklore of indigenous communities in the Pacific Northwest.
Another notable figure was Tamarah Sheehan (1876-1946), an Irish-American labor activist and suffragette. She played a crucial role in the women's suffrage movement in the United States and advocated for the rights of working-class women and their families.
In the 20th century, Tamarah Holder (1918-2006) was a Trinidadian-American dancer and choreographer who gained fame for her innovative dance techniques and collaborations with renowned artists such as Duke Ellington and Alvin Ailey.
Tamarah Zaydan (born 1962) is a contemporary Palestinian-American author and academic known for her writings on Middle Eastern literature, culture, and politics. Her works explore themes of identity, displacement, and the experiences of Arab Americans.
While the name Tamarah has roots in Hebrew and Biblical tradition, it has transcended cultural boundaries and been embraced by various communities worldwide, reflecting its enduring appeal and the diverse tapestry of human experiences associated with it.
People
Tamarah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tamarah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tamarah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tamarah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,215 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tamarah going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 282,102 US residents.
Is Tamarah a common name?
We classify Tamarah as "Rare". It ranks above 91.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,326 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tamarah most popular?
The single biggest year for Tamarah was 1996, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tamarah is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tamarah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tamarah in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.