Amaryllis comes from Greek and is usually traced to the verb amaryssein, "to sparkle", so it is read as "sparkling". It was the name of a shepherdess in the pastoral poems of Theocritus and Virgil, and later became the name of the showy red and white flower that blooms around Christmas. Amaryllis ranked number 9205 in 2000, has held a steady spot between number 2400 and 2700 for a decade and reaches its best rank, number 2439, in 2025 with 73 girls.