Amarilis

Meaning & origin

Amarilis is a rare botanical name first recorded in U.S. data in 1961. It saw its highest usage in 1992 (rank 10,917) and has been on a steady decline since around 1991. In 2025, the name appeared in roughly 1 in 200,908 births, reflecting its status as an uncommon choice. The name's trajectory places it among those more familiar to the 1990s than to the present decade. As a modern coinage derived from the amaryllis genus, it belongs to the tradition of flower-inspired names popular throughout the English-speaking world. While it did not rank among the top states in any given year, its rarity suggests a scattered, non-regional appeal. The downward trend since the early 1990s indicates Amarilis is likely to remain a distinctive, low-frequency name.

Amarilis (or Amaryllis) is a botanical name taken from the genus of flowering plants native to South Africa. The name was coined in the 18th century by Carl Linnaeus, who borrowed it from a shepherdess in Virgil's Eclogues. It became fashionable as a given name in the mid-20th century, especially in the United States and other English-speaking countries, following a tradition of using floral and botanical names for girls.