>>>>FWIW, my partners name is Tamar. Maybe because her father was half Georgian (where I believe it is common) or maybe because her mother lived near the Tamar (a river on the Devon/Cornwall border)
>>>
>>>Probably pronounced differently than I do, though. I'll bet she's "TAY-mahr," since that's how I'm told the river is pronounced. I pronounce it "tuh-MAHR," which is close to, but not quite, the Hebrew pronunciation.
>>>
>>>Tamar
>>
>>And now I know. I've always mentally pronounced it 'tam-mar'.
>
>Yeah, that's a common one I hear. One advantage of having an unusual name is that it makes it easy to screen out the sales calls. <g>
>
>Tamar

Same thing with my last name - particularly with someone who comes from a linguistic background where you pronounce all the vowels.

"Is Mrs. Bay-ah-eerd there?"
"Sorry, no one here by that name"
"Oh, ok, sorry to bother you"
"No problem"
(click)