I have, apparently, spent years watching tv shows with people called Tamara.

Huh, really? I've never heard the name Tamara spoken aloud. I've only met one Tamara, whom I corresponded with by email, and I've never encountered any fictional Tamaras. I had actually assumed the name wasn't used in English, and that that one Tamara was from somewhere foreign.

(I don't think I've heard of any Tamras, either, so it isn't that.)