Tam
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- TAM
- Origin
- Vietnamese
- US rank, 2025
- #14,937 for girls
Tam is a boys' name of Vietnamese origin, meaning “heart, mind”. In 2025 it ranked 14,937th for girls in the US (5 babies).
What does Tam mean?
Vietnamese: Vietnamese Tam; also a Scots short form of Thomas
“heart, mind”
In Vietnamese tam means 'heart, mind'; in Scotland Tam is short for Thomas, as in Burns's poem Tam o' Shanter.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Tam a girl's or a boy's name?
Tam is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 5 girls and 5 boys in the US.
How popular is Tam in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2003, with 6 boys.
Half of all the boys named Tam in the UK since 1996 were born between 2002 and 2014. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Tam in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5 | #3,772 |
| 2023 | 1 | #6,556 |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 1 | #6,364 |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 1 | #6,277 |
| 2017 | 1 | #6,312 |
| 2016 | 3 | #5,015 |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 3 | #4,829 |
| 2013 | 1 | #6,198 |
| 2012 | 3 | #4,999 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 3 | #4,865 |
| 2009 | 1 | #6,016 |
| 2008 | 3 | #4,615 |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 5 | #2,691 |
| 2003 | 6 | #2,283 |
| 2002 | 3 | #3,325 |
| 2001 | 4 | #2,714 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 3 | #3,043 |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 3 | #2,979 |
| 1996 | 3 | #2,949 |
How popular is Tam in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #14,937among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 5about 1 in 320,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to calltoo few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 5 girls in the US were named Tam, making it the 14,937th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 15,083rd. Its busiest year was 1959, with 37 girls. It first appears in the records in 1944. 5 boys were also named Tam in 2025 (12,003rd for boys).
Half of all the girls named Tam in the US since 1880 were born between 1962 and 2001, the years shaded on the chart below.
Girls were 63% of the babies named Tam in the US in 1957, and 46% in 2008.
Tam in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | #14,937 |
| 2024 | 0 | – |
| 2023 | 9 | #10,307 |
| 2022 | 5 | #15,300 |
| 2021 | 6 | #13,459 |
| 2020 | 5 | #15,083 |
| 2019 | 6 | #13,793 |
| 2018 | 10 | #9,801 |
| 2017 | 6 | #14,120 |
| 2016 | 11 | #9,408 |
| 2015 | 9 | #10,861 |
| 2014 | 12 | #8,961 |
| 2013 | 11 | #9,607 |
| 2012 | 11 | #9,706 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 17 | #7,214 |
| 2009 | 11 | #9,971 |
| 2008 | 16 | #7,738 |
| 2007 | 10 | #10,814 |
| 2006 | 11 | #9,897 |
| 2005 | 13 | #8,325 |
| 2004 | 10 | #9,887 |
| 2003 | 10 | #9,666 |
| 2002 | 21 | #5,440 |
| 2001 | 19 | #5,817 |
| 2000 | 12 | #8,020 |
| 1999 | 6 | #12,681 |
| 1998 | 11 | #8,011 |
| 1997 | 11 | #7,737 |
| 1996 | 13 | #6,718 |
| 1995 | 9 | #8,761 |
| 1994 | 11 | #7,598 |
| 1993 | 9 | #8,712 |
| 1992 | 18 | #5,260 |
| 1991 | 7 | #10,263 |
| 1990 | 15 | #5,829 |
| 1989 | 17 | #5,043 |
| 1988 | 19 | #4,491 |
| 1987 | 13 | #5,608 |
| 1986 | 22 | #3,755 |
| 1985 | 15 | #4,858 |
| 1984 | 18 | #4,165 |
| 1983 | 21 | #3,686 |
| 1982 | 18 | #4,166 |
| 1981 | 12 | #5,570 |
| 1980 | 14 | #4,977 |
| 1979 | 8 | #7,311 |
| 1978 | 6 | #8,560 |
| 1977 | 7 | #7,565 |
| 1976 | 7 | #7,294 |
| 1975 | 5 | #9,065 |
| 1974 | 6 | #7,678 |
| 1973 | 6 | #7,433 |
| 1972 | 7 | #6,556 |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 11 | #4,221 |
| 1967 | 5 | #6,803 |
| 1966 | 12 | #3,739 |
| 1965 | 6 | #5,816 |
| 1964 | 14 | #3,514 |
| 1963 | 29 | #2,210 |
| 1962 | 25 | #2,413 |
| 1961 | 17 | #3,059 |
| 1960 | 24 | #2,431 |
| 1959 | 37 | #1,819 |
| 1958 | 34 | #1,871 |
| 1957 | 20 | #2,562 |
| 1956 | 14 | #3,185 |
| 1955 | 12 | #3,376 |
| 1954 | 8 | #4,276 |
| 1953 | 5 | #5,672 |
| 1952 | 13 | #3,039 |
| 1951 | 5 | #5,413 |
| 1950 | 0 | – |
| 1949 | 9 | #3,611 |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 5 | #5,293 |
| 1946 | 5 | #4,958 |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 5 | #4,572 |
Names like Tam
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Muhammad Ahmed Hamza Ibrahim Raheem Abdullah Mustafa Musa Saif Umar Hakeem Zayd
Names related to Tam
More Vietnamese names
An Minh Anh Vy Khoi Khang Ngoc Can Nhi Nam Thang Khoa Vinh Phuong Nguyen Liem
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Tam: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/tam, updated 20 October 2026.