Amyas

Distinctive and contemporary in appearance, Amyas has in fact been used since Renaissance period. More popularly spelled as Amias today, the name likely derives from the Medieval names, Amis and Amice, meaning "friend".

Originally used as a surname, other theories around the origin of the name include that it was used to refer to someone from the French city of Amiens. Alternatively, it may have derived from Amadeus ("love of god") or as a masculine form of Amy or Amée ("beloved").

Used by Edmund Spenser as a minor character in his 16th century epic poem, The Faerie Queene, this version became better known via the hero of the mega-popular 1855 Charles Kingsley novel, Westward Ho!. It also appeared in one of Agatha Christie's Poirot books.

Given to just 5 boys in a recent year in the US, it is far outranked by Amias, which appears in the Top 1000, given to around 390 babies.

Pronounced um-EYE-us.

As of October 2026, Amyas ranked #8959 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #4647 in 2019.