Tamara

Derived from the ancient name Tamar, designating the date palm. Russian literature adopted the three-syllable form in the nineteenth century, notably through Mikhail Lermontov's 1841 narrative poem Tamara. The name entered American birth records in 1917, drifting as an overseas curiosity before climbing steadily into postwar nurseries to reach its 1970 peak.

The name reads as 1970s drama adjusted for everyday commerce. With an average age of 51 and nearly half of its living holders in Generation X, it belongs firmly to the era of macramé plant hangers, station wagons, and cassette decks. A Tamara is pictured running a committee with quiet efficiency and zero patience for icebreaker games. The name has drifted down to 111 newborns a year, leaving its territory almost entirely to women who remember when television sets had dials.