Tatem is an English surname-style name, related to Tate and used in a modern unisex way.
Tatem is a name of Old English provenance, rooted in the Anglo-Saxon place-name tradition that proliferated across England in the centuries following the Norman Conquest. The element "Tata" was a common personal name in early medieval England, and "-ham" or "-tun" suffixes denoted a homestead or settlement — so Tatem likely descends from a place meaning "Tata's farm" or "Tata's estate." Like many English place-names that became surnames, and then given names, Tatem carries the quiet history of land, family, and belonging embedded in the English landscape itself.
The more familiar spelling Tatum has been used as a surname for centuries and gained notice as a given name primarily through American culture. Art Tatum, the virtuoso jazz pianist of the 1930s and 1940s, carried the name to legendary status in music history; his improvisational genius was so extraordinary that other pianists reportedly left the room rather than follow him on stage. Actress Tatum O'Neal, who became the youngest competitive Oscar winner in history in 1974, helped bring the name to wider popular use as a feminine given name in the United States.
Tatem, with its distinctive spelling, adds a slightly more exotic visual quality to a name that is essentially Anglo-American in feel. It sits comfortably in the contemporary trend of surname-derived given names — names like Harper, Quinn, and Emerson — while its Old English roots give it genuine historical depth. The name's easy two-syllable rhythm and strong consonants give it a confident, memorable character.