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Tamsin or Thomasina?

the astrological twins


Pronunciation: TAM-sin, tom-ah-SEE-nah

Potential nicknames: Tam, Tams, Tammy, Tommie, Sina, Tina, Tansy

Alternate spellings: Tamzin, Tamasin, Tomasin, Thomasin, Tamsen

Origin: Tamsin is the English short form of the name Thomasina, which is the Aramaic feminine variant of Thomas. Tamsin, Thomasina, and Thomas mean "twin." It is really up to you if you want to name a non-twin Tamsin or Thomasina, since people name non-twin boys Thomas regularly.

Popularity: There were only 9 baby girls named Tamsin in 2010, which means it did not rank on the top 1000. In 2011 there were only 8 baby girls named Tamsin and 6 named Thomasina. Thomasina only ranked once - in 1932 at #970.

Fun facts for Tamsin: (1) Tamsin was used as a given name about a century after the Victorian Era. (2) Tamsin has been traditionally used in Cornwall. (3) Tamsin was a 1999 novel by Peter S. Beagle - the same guy that wrote The Last Unicorn. (4) Actresses Tamsin Egerton, Tamsin Heatley, Tamsin Olivier, Tamzin Merchant, Tamasin Ramsay, Tamzin Outhwaite and Tamsin Grieg. (4) Thomasin Yeobright was a character in The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy. (5) Tamsen is another alternate spelling - Tamsen Fadal is a TV personality and Tamsen Donner was a member of the ill-fated Donner Party. Of the alternate spelling Tamasin, Tamasin Day-Lewis was a chef and sister of Daniel Day-Lewis, and Tamasin Berry-Hart is an author.

Fun facts for Thomasina: (1) The Three Lives of Thomasina was a 1963 Disney film about a cat and her family. (2) Thomasina Coverly was a character in "Arcadia," a play by Tom Stoppard. (3) Thomasina Tittlemouse was a character used by Beatrix Potter. (4) Through the name Didymos, the name Thomasina is linked to the twelve disciples of Jesus.
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Comments

  1. thenamestationDecember 4, 2011 at 1:33 PM

    I know a Tamsyn (goes by Tammy) whose biggest pet peeve about her name is when people call her Tasman (she's Australian, so Tasmania and the Tasman Sea are forefront in people's minds). I love this name until she told me that story, and personally I dislike the nickname Tammy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousAugust 7, 2012 at 6:40 PM

    We just named our daughter Tamsin, I've also heard a few people mispronounce it as Tasmin. We've already put the word out not to call her Tammy, my husband and I both dislike that nickname!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJuly 13, 2013 at 2:06 AM

    I'm Tamzin, when I introduce myself I say "hello, I'm Tamzin" and with in seconds someone has called me Tasmin. When I gained my PHd I started introducing myself as Tam (Dr Tam) usually within a few days someone has called me Tamara, because thats such a common name!!

    Tamzin is a great name and makes you stand out, people get it wrong because they don't listen, all you can say do is correct them, kindly but firmly and move on.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousNovember 3, 2013 at 4:38 PM

    I'm Tamsin and get called TASMIN all the bloody time, despite introducing myself clearly. I'm now 25 and I dont think this will ever change. Despite this, I love my unique name :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. tamsin nMay 31, 2015 at 7:34 AM

    I'm a tamsin and at school I have loads of nicknames:tamsina Tammy Tasmania Tasmanian devil ! And its really annoying thatbinhave this name because also when I introduce myself I clearly say hi my name is TAMSIN and the next time someone says my name they say TASMIN then the next person calles me Yasmin!! But I can be shy a school and my drama teachers always calling me Yasmin and I don't wanna get in trouble by firmly saying that my name is tamsin so now when I introduce myself I clearly say hi my name is TAM...SIN haha but I do love my name because it is lovely.

    ReplyDelete

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