Fun Facts About the Name Amaryllis
- More than 1 thousand babies named Amaryllis: U.S. records list 1,852 babies given the name Amaryllis from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Amaryllis Mean?
Amaryllis is a feminine name of Greek origin, generally understood to mean "to sparkle" or "shining." It is linked to the Greek verb ἀμαρύσσω (amaryssō), meaning "to sparkle, flash, or gleam," and the related noun ἀμαρυγή (amarygē), "a sparkle or gleam." The name is not a common personal name in ancient Greek records; it is chiefly a figure name in pastoral poetry, and its use as a given name comes from that literary tradition rather than from everyday Greek naming. Because the name is known mainly through poetry, the exact route from the verb to the poetic name is not fully documented.
Amaryllis Name History & Origins
Amaryllis appears in ancient Greek and Roman pastoral poetry. Theocritus, writing in the third century BC, uses Amaryllis as the name of a shepherdess in his Idylls. Virgil later used the name in his Eclogues in the first century BC, where Amaryllis is a beloved figure of the countryside. From these classical works the name moved into later European literature and was occasionally taken up as a personal name.
In the eighteenth century the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus gave the name Amaryllis to a genus of flowering bulbs, drawing on the classical poetic name. The genus Amaryllis includes Amaryllis belladonna, the belladonna lily native to southern Africa. The large garden plant commonly sold today as "amaryllis" actually belongs to the related genus Hippeastrum, a distinction that is often blurred in ordinary usage.
As an English given name, Amaryllis has stayed uncommon. It appears in English poetry and prose and has been used steadily but rarely, rather than becoming a widely adopted name.
How Popular is the Name Amaryllis?
Amaryllis has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2023. Its best rank was #1,139 in 1927.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,439 | 73 | 0.0045% |
| 2024 | #2,689 | 64 | 0.0040% |
| 2023 | #2,442 | 73 | 0.0046% |
| 2022 | #2,554 | 69 | 0.0042% |
| 2021 | #2,532 | 69 | 0.0042% |
| 2020 | #2,629 | 64 | 0.0040% |
| 2019 | #2,562 | 68 | 0.0041% |
| 2018 | #2,584 | 67 | 0.0039% |
| 2017 | #2,600 | 67 | 0.0039% |
| 2016 | #3,381 | 47 | 0.0027% |
| 2015 | #2,557 | 70 | 0.0039% |
| 2014 | #3,276 | 49 | 0.0027% |
| 2013 | #3,125 | 52 | 0.0030% |
| 2012 | #4,128 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 2011 | #5,742 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2010 | #5,612 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2009 | #4,943 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2008 | #5,020 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2007 | #5,241 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2006 | #9,326 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2005 | #7,167 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2004 | #6,792 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2003 | #5,432 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2002 | #4,910 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2001 | #6,972 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2000 | #9,205 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1999 | #9,527 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #5,815 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1997 | #5,893 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1996 | #6,078 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1995 | #5,689 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1994 | #7,633 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #8,759 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1992 | #5,063 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1991 | #4,657 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1990 | #5,299 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1989 | #5,057 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1988 | #4,501 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1987 | #3,427 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 1986 | #6,175 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1985 | #6,474 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1983 | #10,327 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #7,493 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1981 | #8,159 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #8,199 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #6,711 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1978 | #6,969 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #6,909 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #5,610 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1975 | #5,533 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1974 | #4,733 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1973 | #4,880 | 11 | 0.0008% |
| 1972 | #5,119 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1971 | #4,539 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1970 | #5,073 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1969 | #4,728 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1968 | #6,271 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1967 | #6,824 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1966 | #6,581 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #6,403 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1958 | #4,901 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1952 | #4,932 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1951 | #5,432 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1950 | #3,431 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1949 | #3,900 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1947 | #3,453 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1946 | #3,674 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1945 | #3,140 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1944 | #4,071 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1943 | #4,215 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1942 | #3,751 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1941 | #3,971 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1940 | #4,379 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1938 | #2,584 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1937 | #2,321 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1936 | #2,033 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1935 | #2,932 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1934 | #1,836 | 18 | 0.0017% |
| 1933 | #1,837 | 18 | 0.0018% |
| 1932 | #1,879 | 18 | 0.0017% |
| 1931 | #1,945 | 17 | 0.0016% |
| 1930 | #1,571 | 25 | 0.0022% |
| 1929 | #1,448 | 28 | 0.0025% |
| 1928 | #1,504 | 28 | 0.0024% |
| 1927 | #1,139 | 45 | 0.0038% |
| 1926 | #3,884 | 7 | 0.0006% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Amaryllis Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Amaryllis's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Amaryllis's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.