Amerie is a modern American name, usually explained as a feminine spelling of Emery or Amery, which go back to the Germanic Amalric and mean "industrious ruler" or "work ruler". It became a given name through the R&B singer Amerie, whose hit 1 Thing came out in 2005. That year the name peaked at number 1344 among US girls; it has since eased to number 2823 in 2025.