Tamar ( he, תָּמָר) is a

female Female (Venus symbol, symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ovum, ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the Sperm, male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gamet ...

name of

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

origin, meaning "

date Date or dates may refer to: *Date (fruit), the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'') Social activity *Dating, a form of courtship involving social activity, with the aim of assessing a potential partner ** Group dating *Play date, a ...

" (the fruit), "

date palm ''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as date or date palm, is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle Eas ...

" or just "

palm tree The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...

". There are three

characters Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

in the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

with this name. The pronunciation of Tamar depends on each so-named person's language, culture, and

idiolect Idiolect is an individual's unique use of language, including speech. This unique usage encompasses vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. This differs from a dialect, a common set of linguistic characteristics shared among a group of people. Th ...

ic preference; typical pronunciation in the original Hebrew is ; typical pronunciations in English are and . Variants include Tamary and " Tamara". The name was not often used in traditional

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

ish societies, possibly because both Biblical characters bearing the name are depicted as involved in controversial sexual affairs. It was, however, among the Biblical names revived and actively promoted by the

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

pioneers, and is a common female name in contemporary

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

(often shortened, as in other languages, to " Tammy" (תמי) – which is sometimes treated as name on its own). Tamar is common among

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

s, where its origin can be traced either to the above-mentioned Biblical Hebrew characters, to the sky goddess Tamar, who had an important role in the Georgians' mythology before their conversion to Christianity or to a convergence of both. In turn, the popularity of the name (especially in the version "Tamara") among Russians and other Slavic peoples can in part be traced to the centuries-long political and cultural contacts between Russians and Georgians. In particular, Russia was touched by the fame of the medieval queen regnant

Tamar of Georgia Tamar the Great ( ka, თამარ მეფე, tr, lit. "King Tamar") ( 1160 – 18 January 1213) reigned as the Queen of Georgia from 1184 to 1213, presiding over the apex of the Georgian Golden Age. A member of the Bagrationi dynasty ...

, reckoned among the greatest of her country's monarchs and who had a Russian husband. Tamar was also among the Biblical names used by

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...

s in the

American Colonial Era The colonial history of the United States covers the history of European colonization of North America from the early 17th century until the incorporation of the Thirteen Colonies into the United States after the Revolutionary War. In the ...

in the 17th and 18th centuries. Puritan families sometimes used names of Biblical characters seen as sinful as a reminder of man's fallen state.Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley
Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature
/ref>

People with the given name Tamar

Tamar (Genesis) In the Book of Genesis, Tamar (; ) was the daughter-in-law of Judah (twice), as well as the mother of two of his children: the twins Perez and Zerah. Genesis narrative In , Tamar is first described as marrying Judah's eldest son, Er. Because ...

, daughter-in-law of Judah in the Bible *

Tamar (daughter of David) Tamar was a princess of Israel, the daughter of King David and sister of Absalom in 2 Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. In the biblical narrative (), she is raped by her half-brother Amnon. Biblical narrative Tamar was the daughter of King David and ...

, daughter of King David and full sister of his son

Absalom Absalom ( he, ''ʾAḇšālōm'', "father of peace") was the third son of David, King of Israel with Maacah, daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur. 2 Samuel 14:25 describes him as the handsomest man in the kingdom. Absalom eventually rebelled ag ...

in the Bible * Tamar, daughter of David's son

(1160–1213), Georgian queen * Tamar of Imereti (died 1556), Georgian princess *

Tamar of Kartli Tamar ( ka, თამარი; 1696 – 12 April 1746) was a Georgian royal princess of the Bagrationi dynasty, a daughter of King Vakhtang VI of Kartli, of the Mukhranian branch, and the second wife of King Teimuraz II, of the Kakhetian branc ...

(1696–1746), Georgian queen * Tamar of Mukhrani (died 1683), Georgian princess * Támar (born 1980), American singer *

Tamar Abakelia Tamar Abakelia (also spelled as Tamara Abakeliya; ka, თამარ აბაკელია; russian: Тама́ра Абаке́лия; 19 August 1905 – 14 May 1953) was a Georgia (country), Georgian sculptor, theater designer and illustra ...

(1905–1953), Georgian artist *

Tamar Ariav Tamar Ariav (תמר אריאב; born 1949) is an associate professor of education and the Academic Director of thJack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation - Israell Prior to her current role, Ariav was the president of the Beit Berl College in Isr ...

(born 1949), Israeli professor of education and President of

Beit Berl College Beit Berl College is a multi-disciplinary academic college for higher education located in Beit Berl in the Sharon region of Israel. It is one of the oldest colleges in Israel. The college grants undergraduate degrees (B.Ed and B.Ed.F.A.) and g ...

* Tamar Amilakhori (fl. 17th-century), Safavid concubine of Georgian origin *

Tamar Beruchashvili Tamar Beruchashvili ( ka, თამარ ბერუჩაშვილი) (born April 9, 1961) is a Georgia (country), Georgian diplomat and politician who has been the Georgian Ambassador to the United Kingdom since March 2016, and previously ...

(born 1961), Georgian politician *

Tamar Braxton Tamar Estine Braxton (born March 17, 1977) is an American singer and television personality. Braxton began her career in 1990 as a founding member of The Braxtons, an R&B singing group formed with her sisters. The Braxtons released their debut a ...

(born 1977), American singer *

Tamar Eilam Tamar Eilam is an Israeli-American computer scientist at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center at Yorktown Heights, New York, Yorktown Heights, New York (state), New York whose work for IBM centers around DevOps and configuration management. Eila ...

, Israeli-American computer scientist * Tamar Garb (born 1957), British art historian *

Tamar Gendler Tamar Szabó Gendler (born December 20, 1965) is an American philosopher. She is the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Yale as well as the Vincent J. Scully Professor of Philosophy and a Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences ...

(born 1965), American philosopher *

Tamar Gozansky Tamar Gozansky ( he, תמר גוז'נסקי, also spelt Tamar Gozhansky; born 3 October 1940) is an Israeli politician. Biography Tamar Gozansky was born in Petah Tikva during the Mandate period to a Russian Jewish family. She earned an MSc i ...

(born 1940), Israeli politician *

Tamar Halperin Tamar Halperin (born 1976) is an Israeli harpsichordist, pianist and musicologist. She has played Baroque music in historically informed performance, but also classical repertory and jazz with a big band. Career Born in Tel Aviv, Halperin gre ...

(born 1976), Israeli musician * Tamar Hermann (born 1957), Israeli political scientist *

Tamar Jacoby Tamar Jacoby (born 1954) is president of Opportunity America, a Washington-based nonprofit working to promote economic mobility – work, skills, careers, ownership and entrepreneurship for poor and working Americans. She was formerly president o ...

(born 1954), American writer *

Tamar Kaprelian Tamar Mardirossian ( hy, Թամար Մարտիրոսեան; born October 28, 1986), known professionally as Tamar Kaprelian, is an Armenian-American singer, songwriter, and philanthropist. Kaprelian began her career in 2008, after winning a cove ...

(born 1986), American singer *

Tamar Katz Tamar Katz ( he, תמר כץ, born September 26, 1989 ) is an Israeli-American former competitive figure skater. She is the 2005, 2007, and 2008 Israeli national champion. Personal life Tamar Katz was born September 26, 1989 in Dallas, Texas. Th ...

(born 1988), Israeli figure skater *

Tamar Sanikidze Tamar Sanikidze ( ka, თამარ სანიკიძე) (born 30 August 1978 in Tbilisi) is a Georgian politician, Minister of Education and Science of Georgia since 18 July 2013 until the announcement of her resignation on June 3rd of 2 ...

(born 1978), Georgian politician *

Tamar Simon Hoffs Tamar Simon Hoffs (née Tamar Ruth Simon; October 23, 1934) is an American filmmaker, best known for directing the indie films ''Red Roses and Petrol'' (2003) and ''Pound of Flesh'' (2009), both starring Malcolm McDowell. Life and career Hoffs w ...

(born 1934), American film director *

Tamar Slay Tamar Ulysses Slay (born April 2, 1980) is an American basketball former college and professional player. A 6 ft 9 in (2.03 m) guard-forward, he was formerly with the National Basketball Association's New Jersey Nets and Charlotte Bobcats. He ...

(born 1980), American basketball player * Tamar Tatuashvili (born 1991), Georgian football player *

Tamar Tavadze Tamar Tavadze (1898–1975) was a Georgian artist, theatre painter, sculptor and architect. Tamar Tavadze was a student when she started working in Tbilisi State Opera and Ballet Theatre. She also worked in Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; ...

(1898–1975), Georgian artist * Tamar Tumanyan (1907–1989), Soviet Armenian architect *

Tamar Zandberg Tamar Zandberg (, born 29 April 1976) is an Israeli politician who served as Ministry of Environmental Protection (Israel), Minister of Environmental Protection from 2021 to 2022. Zandberg also served as a member of the Knesset for Meretz from 20 ...

(born 1976), Israeli politician

Fictional characters

*Hilary Tamar, fictional character in the novels of

Sarah Caudwell Sarah Caudwell was the pseudonym of Sarah Cockburn (/ˈkoʊbərn/ KOH-bərn; 27 May 1939 – 28 January 2000), a British barrister and writer of detective stories. She is best known for a series of four murder stories written between 1980 and ...

*Tamar Cauldwell, the central character in the epic poem '' Tamar'' by Robinson Jeffers *Tamar Kir-Bataar, a character from the Grishaverse book series by

Leigh Bardugo Leigh Bardugo ( he, לי ברדוגו) is an Israeli-American fantasy author. She is best known for her young adult Grishaverse novels, which include the ''Shadow and Bone'' trilogy, the ''Six of Crows'' duology, and the '' King of Scars'' duolo ...

Equivalents in other languages

* ar, تمر ''tamr -'' which is the

plural The plural (sometimes abbreviated pl., pl, or ), in many languages, is one of the values of the grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than the default quantity represented by that noun. This de ...

form and

singular Singular may refer to: * Singular, the grammatical number that denotes a unit quantity, as opposed to the plural and other forms * Singular homology * SINGULAR, an open source Computer Algebra System (CAS) * Singular or sounder, a group of boar, ...

form "Tamra" (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: تَمْرَة ''tamrah'') * hy, Թամար

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tamar (Name) Hebrew-language names Georgian feminine given names

People with the given name Tamar

Fictional characters

Equivalents in other languages

See also

References