Meaning and background
The story behind Tama
Tama is an established Māori masculine name in Behind the Name, where its meaning is given as son or boy. That provides a direct personal-name explanation for the exact spelling, rather than a meaning assembled from similar-looking words in other languages. An owner using Tama with this background can refer to that documented Māori tradition; other cultures' uses of the same letters would require their own evidence.
- Meaning
- Māori masculine personal name meaning son or boy. Source
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Everyday moments“Tama, come here!”
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About Tama
Recorded as a dog’s name
Tama appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2022 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/tɑmə/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/tɑmə/ · primary stress on syllable 1T AA1 M AH0
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.