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At a Glance: Name: Tatum – Meaning: Tata's homestead (an Old English personal name of unknown meaning, plus 'hām' = homestead) – Origin: English (Old English surname/place name) – Gender: Neutral – Pronunciation: TAY-tum
Tatum is a neutral name with a timeless, classic feel, pronounced TAY-tum (IPA /ˈteɪtəm/). It comes from Old English, where it literally means 'Tata's homestead' — Tata being a personal name of unknown meaning, combined with 'hām,' meaning homestead. You may have seen Tatum described as meaning 'cheerful' or 'bringer of joy,' but that isn't accurate: there's no etymological basis for it, since the name traces back to a homestead name rather than a word for cheerfulness.
Meaning & Origin of Tatum
Meaning: Tata's homestead (an old english personal name of unknown meaning, plus 'hām' = homestead).
Origin: English (Old English surname/place name).
A common claim: Tatum is often said to mean 'cheerful' or 'bringer of joy.' Actually: There's no etymological basis for that — Tatum traces to an Old English homestead name ('Tata's homestead'), not a word for cheerfulness.
Source: Wiktionary, Wikipedia.
How to Pronounce Tatum
Phonetic: TAY-tum IPA: /ˈteɪtəm/
Popularity of Tatum
SSA records going back to 1966 show Tatum's highest point yet came in 2024, when it ranked #195 with 1,833 babies given the name.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1966–2024.
Make Tatum Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Tatum, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
Names With a Similar Story
Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.
FAQ
What does the name Tatum mean?
Tata’s homestead (an old english personal name of unknown meaning, plus ‘hām’ = homestead). (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Tatum)
How do you pronounce Tatum?
Tatum is pronounced TAY-tum (IPA: /ˈteɪtəm/).
Is Tatum a popular name right now?
Tatum is at its highest recorded popularity right now, ranked #195 in 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1966–2024.)
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