Tamar

Hebrew, “date palm tree” | English, “river”

Concise in appearance and distinctive in sound, many may know Tamar as a Biblical name, appearing in the Old Testament, notably as the daughter-in-law of Judah. From these roots, it’s associated with date palm trees and is typically pronounced as tah-MAHR.

Less known perhaps, is that it’s also a river name.

The River Tamar flows between the counties of Devon and Cornwall in the UK and in this case, it would be pronounced as TAY-mahr. Its name relates to the River Thames, and while this does give it a cloudy etymology, theories include that it could mean “great river” or “dark” from ancient Celtic.

I first encountered the name in its latter form, after meeting a real-life TAY-mahr, and it is this variation that I enjoy slightly more. An alternative to Taylor and a way to the sweet but stylish nickname Tay, it’s also the name of a type of lifeboat used by the RNLI, connecting it to the sea and to an organization that I admire.