Message: "Tamber" - Behind the Name

[Facts] Tamber

by Britney (BritneyTamber)

9/8/2006, 12:05 PM

My grandfather's middle name was Tamber and his mother before him. The original, Georgia Tamber was born circa 1910. I always assumed they just made this name up somehow, but I thought it was worth a try to see if anyone else had heard this name anywhere or knew where it might originate from. My ancestors are English with some Scottish probably somewhere down the line. The original Tamber's maiden name was Winchester if that helps.

Britney Tamber
*DH: Adam Jeffrey*

#Tamber

Replies

- RainbowSerpent

9/22/2006, 3:36 AM

Tamber is from the river name, the river Tamber

- Agata (ADT)

9/8/2006, 5:47 PM

The comments below have been excellent but remember that it could be made up. I know someone who liked the name Maya. Her boyfriend wanted to add a T. So the baby was named Tamaya. However, her name has nothing to do with the actual Tamaya - just Maya with a T. :)

- Cleveland Kent Evans (clevelandkentevans) +4

9/8/2006, 1:20 PM

It seems rather unlikely at that point in history that a mother's middle name would be used for a son unless people realized it was originally a surname. So I would guess that Tamber is an alternative spelling of Tambur or Tambour, surnames which originally meant "drummer". Though it seems to be rare, there are examples of Tamber as a surname on the Worldwide Web. For example, there is a physician named Michael Tamber in Everett, Washington:

http://www.everettclinic.com/Physicians/Michael_Tamber.ashx?p=2317&srchloc=1

and a freelance journalist named Caryn Tamber who lives in Baltimore, Maryland, and writes for many different publications.

- Britney (BritneyTamber) +3

9/8/2006, 1:53 PM

I see your point. Still, I have done some extensive research and have the lineage traced back to the very late 1700s and no Tamber turns up in the direct line. My grandfather's name was George Tamber and his mother Georgia Tamber. It's very interesting, because he was the baby of the family after multiple other siblings who weren't named after anyone. Maybe she was just tired of creating new names. Thanks for your suggestion.

Britney Tamber
*DH: Adam Jeffrey*

- Luna (guest)

7/6/2024, 11:43 AM

Brittany, are there any native Americans with the last name tamper in your line?

- Chrisell +1

9/8/2006, 5:39 PM

It could be . . .

. . . that it was not a *family* surname. Perhaps a Dr Tamber helped at Georgia's birth, or perhaps a very close family friend with the surname Tamber was around at that time.

Have you tried finding baptismal records for Georgia which might show who her godparents were?

♦ Chrisell ♦

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.

- Britney (BritneyTamber)

9/9/2006, 11:18 AM

It is possible that a family friend may have been the namesake. They lived in a tiny community in very rural Texas and records were not kept as they should have been. It is very unlikely that a doctor was present in 1910 at Georgia's birth. Likely, they were members of a Baptist or Church of Christ church, in which they do not baptize at birth or have godparents. Thanks so much for your help. I wish there was an obvious explanation for this name. From your responses, I have learned that this name does not appear anywhere else and that is valuable knowledge. I appreciate that.

Britney Tamber
*DH: Adam Jeffrey*

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