Tamar ( he, תָּמָר) is a female name of Hebrew origin, meaning " date" (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". There are three characters in the Bible 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 Jewish 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 pioneers, and is a common female name in contemporary Israel (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 Puritans 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), daughter-in-law of Judah in the Bible * Tamar (daughter of David), 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 Tamar ( ka, თამარი) (died 1556) was a Georgian princess of the royal Bagrationi dynasty. Tamar was titled as "დედოფალთ დედოფალი თამარ" (''dedopalt dedopali tamar'') "Tamar the Queen of Queens". ...

(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 branch ...

(1696–1746), Georgian queen *

Tamar of Mukhrani Tamar ( ka, თამარი; died 1683) was a Georgian princess of the House of Mukhrani who was married, successively, to three sovereigns of western Georgia—Levan III Dadiani, Prince of Mingrelia, then King Bagrat V of Imereti, and finally, G ...

(died 1683), Georgian princess * Támar (born 1980), American singer * Tamar Abakelia (1905–1953), Georgian artist * Tamar Ariav (born 1949), Israeli professor of education and President of Beit Berl College *

Tamar Amilakhori Tamar Amilakhori ( ka, თამარ ამილახორი) was a 17th-century Georgian noblewoman from the Amilakhori family and a favourite concubine of Safavid king Abbas I of Persia (r. 1588–1629). Tamar was a daughter of Faramarz ...

(fl. 17th-century), Safavid concubine of Georgian origin * Tamar Beruchashvili (born 1961), Georgian politician * Tamar Braxton (born 1977), American singer * Tamar Eilam, Israeli-American computer scientist *

Tamar Garb Tamar Garb is Durning Lawrence Professor in the Department of History of Art at University College London. A researcher of French art of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Garb has published numerous catalogue essays and books t ...

(born 1957), British art historian * Tamar Gendler (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 (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. The ...

(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 (born 1980), American basketball player *

Tamar Tatuashvili Tamari Tatuashvili ( ka, თამარი ტატუაშვილი, born April 12, 1991) is a Georgia (country), Georgian women's soccer, women's football Defender (association football), defender currently playing in the Turkish Women's F ...

(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 Tamar Hovhannesi Tumanyan (1907–1989; ) was a Soviet Armenian architect. She was awarded the title, Honored Worker of Culture of the Armenian SSR (1977). Her father was poet and writer Hovhannes Tumanyan. Biography Tamar Tumanyan was born in ...

(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 *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.

Equivalents in other languages

* ar, تمر ''tamr -'' which is the plural 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: 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