'Ericameria' originates from Neo-Latin (botanical Latin), formed from the element 'Erica' (the heath genus name borrowed from Latin/Greek) combined with Greek 'meros' (μέρος) meaning 'part' or 'portion', giving a sense of 'resembling Erica' or 'Erica-like'.

'Ericameria' was coined in Neo-Latin botanical usage (19th century) to name a distinct genus of shrubs; the name was formed from classical elements rather than inherited from an earlier English word, and it entered modern English botanical literature as the formal genus name.

Initially coined to convey 'Erica-like' (heath-like) characteristics, the term evolved into the fixed scientific name for a specific genus of Asteraceae (rabbitbrush/goldenbush) and is now used primarily as that taxonomic name.