Tamari
A Hebrew name meaning either "date palm tree" or "the highest branch".
Name Census estimates that about 1,068 living Americans carry the first name Tamari. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 63.3% of registrations being female. The average person named Tamari today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tamari births was 2023 (61 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tamari. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Tamari with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Tamari sits in rare territory as a truly gender-neutral name, given to boys and girls in near-equal numbers.
- • Tamari is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 16 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 320,931 Americans
Peak year
2023
61 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,405
Tracked since 1965
Census
Tamari in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 949 people with the first name Tamari, which placed it at #12,909 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#12,909
National first-name rank
People counted
949
949 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
68.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tamari
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tamari is Black at 68.6%. The next largest groups are White (19.3%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Tamari described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Tamari at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American68.6% · 651
- White19.3% · 183
- Two or more races5.6% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 5
Gender
Gender distribution for Tamari
Tamari is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,083 total registrations, 397 (36.7%) were male and 686 (63.3%) were female.
Tamari as a male name
- Ranked #6,405 in 2024
- 14 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (29 births)
Tamari as a female name
- Ranked #6,876 in 2024
- 17 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2005 (35 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Tamari on both sides of the split. Of the 952 people counted with this name, 273 were male (28.7%) and 679 were female (71.3%).
Popularity
Tamari: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tamari from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 381 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Tamari remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tamari 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 Tamari during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tamaris live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Florida, Georgia, New York recorded the most babies named Tamari, while Tennessee, New York, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tamari
The name Tamari is believed to have its origins in the Tamil language, which is primarily spoken in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the neighboring countries of Sri Lanka and Singapore. The name is thought to derive from the Tamil word "tamarai," meaning "lotus flower."
The lotus flower holds significant cultural and religious symbolism in Hindu and Buddhist traditions, representing purity, enlightenment, and spiritual growth. It is often associated with deities such as Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity, and is revered for its ability to emerge from murky waters untainted.
While the exact origin and earliest recorded use of the name Tamari are difficult to pinpoint, it is likely that it has been in use for centuries, particularly in the regions where Tamil culture and language have flourished. The name may have been bestowed upon children as a way to imbue them with the positive qualities associated with the lotus flower.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Tamari was Tamari Kunar, a 12th-century Sanskrit scholar and poet from the Chola dynasty in southern India. His works, which included poetry and plays, were influential in shaping the literary landscape of his time.
In more recent history, Tamari Kitoshita (1936-2020) was a renowned Japanese actress and singer who gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s. Her career spanned over six decades, and she was celebrated for her versatility in both dramatic and comedic roles.
Another notable figure with the name Tamari was Tamari Tundogan (1928-2012), a Turkish artist known for her vibrant and expressive paintings. Her work often depicted scenes from rural life in Turkey and celebrated the country's cultural heritage.
Tamari Qurashi (born 1957) is a prominent Afghan activist and journalist who has been a vocal advocate for women's rights and freedom of expression in her home country. Her courageous reporting and activism have earned her numerous international awards and recognition.
In the realm of sports, Tamari Miyashiro (born 1983) is a Japanese professional wrestler who has competed in various promotions, including All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling: EVE. She is known for her technical prowess and has held several championships throughout her career.
While the name Tamari may have originated from the Tamil language and culture, it has since transcended geographical boundaries and has been adopted by individuals from diverse backgrounds, each bringing their unique stories and contributions to the rich tapestry of history associated with this name.
People
Tamari + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tamari 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
Tamari: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tamari?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,068 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tamari 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 320,931 US residents.
Is Tamari a common name?
We classify Tamari as "Rare". It ranks above 90.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,083 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tamari most popular?
The single biggest year for Tamari was 2023, when 61 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tamari is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Tamari in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 949 people with the name Tamari, or 0.31 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,909 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Tamari in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Tamari?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Tamari on both sides of the split. Of the 952 people counted with this name, 273 were male (28.7%) and 679 were female (71.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Tamari?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Tamari is Black at 68.6%. The next largest groups are White (19.3%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Tamari most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Tamari in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.6% (651 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Tamari in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tamari a female name?
Yes, 63.3% of people registered as Tamari 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.
Is Tamari still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tamari in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Tamari can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people share the name Tamari?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.