- Origin: unknown
- Meaning: none
- Gender: feminine
- Usage: Spanish
The name seems to be either a contraction of Amaryllis or inspired by the Biblical female name, Damaris. It first appeared in Spanish-speaking Caribbean in the late 70s when other names ending in -is, -ys were in fashion. Since then, several baby name books have listed it as meaning “child of the moon,” with elusive linguistic origins, the pleasant meaning seems to have spurred the usage of this name further outside Latin America. However, this etymology seems to be an invention.
It has been in an out of the USA Top 1000 since 2003, peaking at #753 in 2016. As of 2022, it ranked in at #909.
It has spun off more elaborate forms of Amarisa and Amarissa.
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