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Element name origins

Where does each element's name come from? Some honour planets, mythological figures or scientists, others their country or town of discovery. Tap a tile or filter by name source and language of origin to trace two centuries of naming conventions across the periodic table.

Every chemical element name carries a story. The oldest elements were known to ancient civilisations and their names trace back to the physical properties of the metals or the places they were mined. From the Renaissance through the 19th century, discoverers turned to Greek and Latin roots to coin scientific-sounding names. Modern synthesised elements typically honour scientists, laboratories or places of discovery. The grid below colours each element by its name source, with a small square in the top-right corner of each cell marking the language of the original word.

Of these 118 elements, 29 are named after places, 49 after a property of the element, 15 after a person, 9 from mythology, 9 after an astronomical body and 7 after a mineral. The most common languages of origin are Greek (40), Latin (31), English (23).

Name source

Mineral Astronomical body Mythology Person Place Properties

Language of origin

Greek Latin Russian English German Swedish Japanese Anglo-Saxon Spanish Norse Arabic
Grid Table
No. Symbol Element Name source Original word Meaning Language Named by Description
1 H Hydrogen Properties hydor + genes Water-forming Greek Antoine Lavoisier The name is derived from the Greek hyrdo- (ὑδρο) meaning "water" and -genes (γενής) meaning "former".
2 He Helium Astronomical body helios Sun Greek Edward Frankland, Norman Lockyer The name is derived from the Greek word for sun, helios. Helios is also the name of the Greek god of the Sun.
3 Li Lithium Properties lithos Stone Greek The name is derived from the Greek word 'lithos' meaning, 'stone.'
4 Be Beryllium Mineral beryllos Beryl Greek The name is derived from the beryllos, the Greek name for the mineral beryl, the element was originally known as glucinium - from Greek glykys, meaning 'sweet' - to reflect its characteristic taste.
5 B Boron Mineral buraq / borax Borax mineral Arabic The name is derived from the Arabic word 'buraq', a term signifying the element.
6 C Carbon Properties carbo Charcoal Latin The name probably is derived from the Latin carbo, meaning variously “coal”, “charcoal”, “ember”, and its word origin can be traced to ancient times.
7 N Nitrogen Properties nitron + genes Nitre-forming Greek Jean-Antoine Chaptal The name is derived from the Latin nitrum and the Greek nitron for "native soda" and genes for "forming".
8 O Oxygen Properties oxys + genes Acid-forming Greek Antoine Lavoisier The name is derived from the Greek words oxy and genes, which together mean "acid forming."
9 F Fluorine Properties fluere To flow Latin Humphry Davy, André-Marie Ampère The name is derived from the mineral fluorite which comes from the Latin word fluere meaning "to flow".
10 Ne Neon Properties neos New Greek The name is derived from the Greek word, νέον, neuter singular form of νέος (neos), meaning 'new'.
11 Na Sodium Properties soda Soda English The name is derived from the English word soda and Medieval Latin word sodanum for "headache remedy".
12 Mg Magnesium Place Magnesia Magnesia district (Greece) Greek Humphry Davy The name is derived from the Greek word Magnesia, a district of Eastern Thessaly in Greece where the mineral magnesia alba was first found.
13 Al Aluminium Properties alumen Bitter salt Latin Humphry Davy The name is derived from the ancient Latin name for alum, which was alumen, meaning bitter salt.
14 Si Silicon Mineral silex Flint Latin Thomas Thomson The name is derived from the Latin word silex or silicis, meaning flint or hard stone.
15 P Phosphorus Properties phosphoros Bringer of light Greek The name is derived from the Greek word phosphoros, meaning bringer of light because it has the property of glowing in the dark. Phosphorus was the ancient name for the planet Venus.
16 S Sulfur Properties sulpur Brimstone Latin The name is derived either from Arabic word ‘sufra’ meaning yellow (which is the color of the naturally occurring form of the element) or from the Sanskrit word sulvere or the Latin word sulfurium, which meaning sulfur or brimstone.
17 Cl Chlorine Properties chloros Greenish-yellow Greek Sir Humphry Davy The name is derived from the Greek word chloros, meaning pale green or yellow-green.
18 Ar Argon Properties argos Idle Greek The name is derived from the Greek word argos (ἀργόν), meaning lazy or idle, as a reference to the fact that the element undergoes almost no chemical reactions.
19 K Potassium Properties potash Potash English The name is derived from the English word potash (pot ashes) from which potassium was first isolated.
20 Ca Calcium Mineral calx Lime Latin The name is derived from the Latin word 'calx' meaning lime, which was obtained from heating limestone.
21 Sc Scandium Place Scandia Scandinavia (Sweden) Latin The name derives from the Latin word 'Scandia', meaning Scandinavia, because the element occurs in rare minerals found there.
22 Ti Titanium Mythology Titanes Titans Greek Martin Heinrich Klaproth The name comes from Greek word Titans, the mythological "first sons of the Earth".
23 V Vanadium Mythology Vanadis Vanadis (Freyja) Norse Nils Gabriel Sefström The name originated from 'Vanadis', the old Norse name for the Scandinavian goddess of of love and beauty (Freyja), because of the beautiful multicolored compounds formed by the metal.
24 Cr Chromium Properties chroma Colour Greek The name is derived from the Greek word 'chroma', meaning color because it forms a variety of colorful compounds.
25 Mn Manganese Properties magnes Magnet Latin The name either derives from the Latin word 'magnes', meaning magnet, or from ‘magnesia nigra’ indicating the black magnesium oxide in Latin.
26 Fe Iron Properties iren Iren Anglo-Saxon The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon word 'iren'. The element has been known from prehistoric times.
27 Co Cobalt Mythology kobold Goblin German The name is derived from the German word 'kobald', meaning goblin or evil spirit. It was named by miners in 16th century Saxony who thought they had found deposits of silver but had actually found cobalt arsenide.
28 Ni Nickel Mythology kupfernickel Devil's copper German The name is derived from a mischievous sprite of German miner mythology, Nickel (similar to Old Nick), who personified the fact that copper-nickel ores resisted refinement into copper. It also from the German word for the mineral niccolite, kupfernickel, which means "Old Nick's copper."
29 Cu Copper Place cuprum From Cyprus (Cyprus) Latin The name is derived from the Old English name 'coper' in turn derived from the Latin ‘Cyprium aes’, meaning ‘Cyprus metal’, the island where the Romans first obtained copper.
30 Zn Zinc Properties zink Zink German Paracelsus The name is derived from the German word 'zinc', a word of unknown origin.
31 Ga Gallium Place Gallia France / Gaul (France) Latin The name is derived from the Latin name Gallia, the old name of France, in honor of its discoverer's home country.
32 Ge Germanium Place Germania Germany (Germany) Latin The name is derived from the Latin for Germany, 'Germania', in honor of its discoverer's home country.
33 As Arsenic Mineral arsenikon Orpiment Greek The name is thought to come from the Greek word 'arsenikon' meaning yellow orpiment or from the Greek word 'arsenikos' meaning strong, brave or male. Word was adopted in Latin as arsenicum, which in French became arsenic, from which the English word arsenic is taken.
34 Se Selenium Astronomical body Selene Moon Greek The name is derived from the Greek word 'selene', who was the Greek goddess and the personification of the Moon because the element is chemically found with tellurium (Tellus was the Roman goddess of the Earth).
35 Br Bromine Properties bromos Stench Greek The name comes from the Ancient Greek 'bromos' (βρῶμος) meaning stench, referring to its sharp and pungent smell.
36 Kr Krypton Properties kryptos Hidden Greek The name is derived from the Greek word 'kryptos', meaning concealed or 'the hidden one'.
37 Rb Rubidium Properties rubidus Dark red Latin The name is derived from the Latin word 'rubidius', meaning deep red because of the two "deep red lines" in its spectra.
38 Sr Strontium Place Strontian Strontian village (United Kingdom) English Humphry Davy The name is derived from Strontian, a small town in Scotland where the metal was first discovered in 1790.
39 Y Yttrium Place Ytterby Ytterby (Sweden) Swedish The name derived from the Swedish village of Ytterby near Vaxholm where the mineral gadolinite was found.
40 Zr Zirconium Properties zargun Gold-like Arabic The name is derived from the Arabic word 'zargun', meaning gold coloured.
41 Nb Niobium Mythology Niobe Niobe Greek The name is derived from the Greek goddess of tears, Niobe, who was the daughter of king Tantalus, due to the element's similarities to tantalum.
42 Mo Molybdenum Properties molybdos Lead Greek Peter Jacob Hjelm The name comes from Ancient Greek word molybdos (Μόλυβδος) meaning lead-like, as its ores were confused with lead ores.
43 Tc Technetium Properties technetos Artificial Greek The name is derived from the Greek word 'tekhnetos' meaning artificial, because it was the first manmade element synthesized.
44 Ru Ruthenium Place Ruthenia Russia (Russia) Latin The name is derived from 'Ruthenia', the Latin name for Russia, as the platinum ores were originally from the Ural Mountains in Russia.
45 Rh Rhodium Properties rhodon Rose-coloured Greek The name is derived from the Greek word 'rhodon', meaning rose coloured, named for the rose-red color of dilute solutions of its salts.
46 Pd Palladium Astronomical body Pallas Pallas (asteroid) Greek The name comes from the second largest asteroid in the solar system Pallas. The asteroid itself was named after the Greek goddess of wisdom Pallas Athena.
47 Ag Silver Properties seolfor Seolfor Anglo-Saxon The name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word 'seolfor'. The element has been known since prehistoric times.
48 Cd Cadmium Mineral cadmia Calamine Latin Friedrich Stromeyer The name is derived from the Latin word 'cadmia', the ancient name for the zinc mineral calamine, in which cadmium was first discovered.
49 In Indium Properties indicum Indigo Latin The name is derived from the Latin word 'indicum', meaning indigo, after the brilliant indigo-blue spectral line that revealed its presence.
50 Sn Tin Properties tin Tin Anglo-Saxon The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon word 'tin' or Cornish 'sten'. The element has been worked since the Bronze Age and the Latin name stannum gives it its symbol Sn.
51 Sb Antimony Properties anti + monos Not alone Greek The name comes from the Greek 'anti + monos', meaning 'not alone', referring to the fact that antimony is rarely found in its native, uncombined form.
52 Te Tellurium Astronomical body tellus Earth Latin Martin Heinrich Klaproth The name is derived from the Latin word 'tellus', meaning Earth, chosen to mirror selenium (named after the Moon) which is chemically similar.
53 I Iodine Properties iodes Violet Greek Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac The name comes from the Greek word 'iodes', meaning violet, after the colour of its vapour when heated.
54 Xe Xenon Properties xenos Stranger Greek William Ramsay The name comes from the Greek 'xenos', meaning stranger or foreigner, because it was found as an unfamiliar trace in liquefied air.
55 Cs Cesium Properties caesius Sky blue Latin The name is derived from the Latin 'caesius', meaning sky-blue, after the two bright blue spectral lines that revealed the new element.
56 Ba Barium Properties barys Heavy Greek Humphry Davy The name comes from the Greek word 'barys', meaning heavy, because of the high density of barium-rich minerals such as baryta.
57 La Lanthanum Properties lanthanein Lie hidden Greek Carl Gustaf Mosander The name comes from the Greek 'lanthanein', meaning to lie hidden, because the element was discovered hidden inside what was thought to be pure cerium oxide.
58 Ce Cerium Astronomical body Ceres Ceres (dwarf planet) Latin Jöns Jacob Berzelius The name is derived from the dwarf planet Ceres, which had been discovered only two years before the element was identified in 1803.
59 Pr Praseodymium Properties prasios + didymos Green twin Greek The name is derived from the Greek 'prasios' (green) and 'didymos' (twin), referring to its green salts and its long-mistaken status as a twin of didymium.
60 Nd Neodymium Properties neos + didymos New twin Greek The name comes from the Greek 'neos' (new) and 'didymos' (twin), reflecting the split of the old element didymium into neodymium and praseodymium.
61 Pm Promethium Mythology Prometheus Prometheus Greek Grace Mary Coryell The name is derived from Prometheus, the Greek Titan who stole fire from the gods, a nod to the fiery birth of the element from nuclear fission.
62 Sm Samarium Mineral Samarskit Samarskite German Lecoq de Boisbaudran The name is derived from the mineral samarskite, itself named after the Russian mining engineer Vasili Samarsky-Bykhovets in the 19th century.
63 Eu Europium Place Europe Europe Greek The name is derived from Europe, the continent, chosen as a counterpart to americium which had been named after the Americas.
64 Gd Gadolinium Person Gadolin Johan Gadolin (Finland) Swedish The name honours the Finnish chemist and mineralogist Johan Gadolin, the first to isolate a rare-earth oxide and pioneer of rare-earth chemistry.
65 Tb Terbium Place Ytterby Ytterby (Sweden) Swedish The name is derived from the Swedish village of Ytterby, whose feldspar quarry has lent its name to four elements (terbium, erbium, ytterbium and yttrium).
66 Dy Dysprosium Properties dysprositos Hard to obtain Greek Lecoq de Boisbaudran The name is derived from the Greek word 'dysprositos', which means 'hard to get at'.
67 Ho Holmium Place Holmia Holmia (Stockholm) (Sweden) Latin Per Teodor Cleve The name is derived from the Latin word for the city of Stockholm, Holmia.
68 Er Erbium Place Ytterby Ytterby (Sweden) Swedish The name is derived from the Swedish village of Ytterby near Vaxholm, the same source as terbium, ytterbium and yttrium.
69 Tm Thulium Place Thule Thule (northern lands) Greek The name is derived from Thule, the classical Greek and Roman name for the northernmost edge of the known world, often identified with Scandinavia.
70 Yb Ytterbium Place Ytterby Ytterby (Sweden) Swedish The name is derived from the Swedish village of Ytterby, the same quarry that gave names to terbium, erbium and yttrium.
71 Lu Lutetium Place Lutetia Paris (Lutetia) (France) Latin Georges Urbain The name is derived from Lutetia, the Latin name for Paris, in honour of the French chemist Georges Urbain who shared in its discovery.
72 Hf Hafnium Place Hafnia Copenhagen (Hafnia) (Denmark) Latin The name is derived from Hafnia, the Latin name for Copenhagen, where Niels Bohr's institute helped clarify the element's place in the periodic table.
73 Ta Tantalum Mythology Tantalos Tantalus Greek The name is derived from Tantalus of Greek mythology, who was tormented by water and fruit just out of reach, a reference to tantalum's resistance to dissolving in acid.
74 W Tungsten Properties tung sten Heavy stone (Sweden) Swedish Torbern Bergman The name is derived from the Swedish 'tung sten', meaning 'heavy stone', after the dense mineral now known as scheelite. The symbol W comes from the German wolfram.
75 Re Rhenium Place Rhenus Rhine river (Germany) Latin The name is derived from Rhenus, the Latin name for the river Rhine, in honour of the German homeland of its discoverers.
76 Os Osmium Properties osme Smell Greek Smithson Tennant The name is derived from the Greek 'osme', meaning smell, after the strong odour of osmium tetroxide formed when the metal is exposed to air.
77 Ir Iridium Mythology Iris Iris Greek The name is derived from Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow, because iridium's salts display many vivid colours.
78 Pt Platinum Properties platina Little silver Spanish The name is derived from the Spanish 'platina', meaning 'little silver', the name used by 16th-century South American miners who considered it a nuisance metal.
79 Au Gold Properties gold Gold Anglo-Saxon The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon 'gold'. The symbol Au is from the Latin aurum, meaning shining dawn.
80 Hg Mercury Astronomical body Mercurius Mercury (planet) Latin The element is named after the Roman messenger god Mercury and the planet of the same name. The symbol Hg comes from the Latinised Greek hydrargyrum, meaning 'water-silver'.
81 Tl Thallium Properties thallos Green twig Greek The name is derived from the Greek 'thallos', meaning a green shoot or twig, after the bright green spectral line that revealed the new element.
82 Pb Lead Properties lead Lead Anglo-Saxon The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon 'lead'. The symbol Pb is from the Latin plumbum, the ancient name for the metal.
83 Bi Bismuth Properties wismuth White mass German The name comes from the German 'wismuth', possibly meaning 'white mass' or 'white meadow', referring to the appearance of the metal's deposits.
84 Po Polonium Place Polonia Poland (Poland) Latin Pierre Curie, Marie Curie The element is named after Poland, the native country of Marie Curie, who co-discovered it together with Pierre Curie in 1898.
85 At Astatine Properties astatos Unstable Greek The name is derived from the Greek 'astatos', meaning unstable, because astatine has no stable isotopes and is the rarest naturally occurring element.
86 Rn Radon Properties radius From radium Latin The name is derived from radium: radon was originally called 'radium emanation' before being recognised as a separate element.
87 Fr Francium Place Francia France (France) Latin The element is named after France, the home country of its discoverer Marguerite Perey, who identified it at the Curie Institute in Paris.
88 Ra Radium Properties radius Ray Latin The name comes from the Latin 'radius', meaning ray, after the intense radioactivity that radium displays.
89 Ac Actinium Properties aktinos Ray Greek André-Louis Debierne The name is derived from the Greek 'aktinos', meaning beam or ray, mirroring radium and reflecting the element's strong radioactivity.
90 Th Thorium Mythology Thor Thor Norse The element is named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder, by the Swedish chemist Jons Jakob Berzelius.
91 Pa Protactinium Properties protos + aktinos First ray Greek Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner The name is derived from the Greek 'protos' (first) and aktinos (ray): protactinium decays into actinium and is therefore the 'parent of actinium'.
92 U Uranium Astronomical body Uranus Uranus (planet) Latin The element is named after the planet Uranus, which had been discovered just eight years before uranium itself was identified in 1789.
93 Np Neptunium Astronomical body Neptunus Neptune (planet) Latin The element is named after the planet Neptune, continuing the planetary naming sequence beyond uranium.
94 Pu Plutonium Astronomical body Pluto Pluto (planet) Latin The element is named after the dwarf planet Pluto, following on from uranium and neptunium in the planetary naming sequence.
95 Am Americium Place America America (United States) English The element is named after the Americas, by direct analogy with europium being named after Europe.
96 Cm Curium Person Curie Marie Curie English The element is named in honour of Marie and Pierre Curie, the pioneering researchers of radioactivity.
97 Bk Berkelium Place Berkeley Berkeley (United States) English The element is named after the city of Berkeley, California, home of the laboratory where it was first synthesised in 1949.
98 Cf Californium Place California California (United States) English The element is named after the US state of California and the University of California, where it was synthesised in 1950.
99 Es Einsteinium Person Einstein Albert Einstein English The element is named in honour of Albert Einstein, the German-born theoretical physicist who died the year before the discovery was declassified.
100 Fm Fermium Person Fermi Enrico Fermi English The element is named in honour of Enrico Fermi, the Italian-American physicist who built the first nuclear reactor.
101 Md Mendelevium Person Mendeleev Dmitri Mendeleev English The element is named in honour of Dmitri Mendeleev, the Russian chemist who created the periodic table.
102 No Nobelium Person Nobel Alfred Nobel English The element is named in honour of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prizes.
103 Lr Lawrencium Person Lawrence Ernest Lawrence English The element is named in honour of Ernest O. Lawrence, inventor of the cyclotron and founder of the Berkeley radiation laboratory.
104 Rf Rutherfordium Person Rutherford Ernest Rutherford English The element is named in honour of Ernest Rutherford, the New Zealand-born father of nuclear physics.
105 Db Dubnium Place Dubna Dubna (Russia) Russian The element is named after Dubna, the Russian town where the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research carried out key transactinide experiments.
106 Sg Seaborgium Person Seaborg Glenn Seaborg English Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory The element is named in honour of Glenn T. Seaborg, the American chemist who led the discovery of many transuranium elements. It was the first element named after a living person.
107 Bh Bohrium Person Bohr Niels Bohr English GSI The element is named in honour of Niels Bohr, the Danish physicist whose model of the atom shaped 20th-century physics.
108 Hs Hassium Place Hassia Hesse (state) (Germany) Latin GSI The name is derived from Hassia, the Latin name for the German state of Hesse, where the GSI laboratory in Darmstadt is located.
109 Mt Meitnerium Person Meitner Lise Meitner English GSI The element is named in honour of Lise Meitner, the Austrian-Swedish physicist who co-discovered nuclear fission with Otto Hahn.
110 Ds Darmstadtium Place Darmstadt Darmstadt (Germany) German GSI The element is named after the German city of Darmstadt, home of the GSI laboratory where it was first synthesised.
111 Rg Roentgenium Person Röntgen Wilhelm Röntgen English GSI The element is named in honour of Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, the German physicist who discovered X-rays in 1895.
112 Cn Copernicium Person Copernicus Nicolaus Copernicus English GSI The element is named in honour of Nicolaus Copernicus, the Renaissance astronomer who placed the Sun at the centre of the solar system.
113 Nh Nihonium Place Nihon Japan (Japan) Japanese RIKEN The element is named after Nihon, one of the Japanese names for Japan. It was the first element to be discovered in East Asia.
114 Fl Flerovium Person Flerov Georgy Flerov English JINR, LLNL The element is named in honour of Georgy Flyorov, founder of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions at JINR in Dubna.
115 Mc Moscovium Place Moscow Moscow (Russia) English JINR, LLNL, ORNL, Vanderbilt University The element is named after Moscow Oblast, the Russian region where JINR in Dubna is located.
116 Lv Livermorium Place Livermore Livermore Lab (United States) English JINR, LLNL The element is named in honour of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, a partner in the discovery.
117 Ts Tennessine Place Tennessee Tennessee (United States) English JINR, LLNL, ORNL, Vanderbilt University The element is named after the US state of Tennessee, where Oak Ridge and Vanderbilt research groups contributed to the discovery.
118 Og Oganesson Person Oganessian Yuri Oganessian English JINR, LLNL The element is named in honour of Yuri Oganessian, the Armenian-Russian physicist who led much of the recent transactinide research at JINR.

Frequently asked questions

What does "Name source" mean?
Name source is the category an element is named after, such as a mineral, an astronomical body, a mythological figure, a person, a place or a property of the element. Helium, for example, comes from the Greek helios ("sun"), so its name source is astronomical.
Why are so many element names from Greek and Latin?
For most of the history of chemistry, Latin was the language of science and Greek the language of natural philosophy. Discoverers from the 18th and 19th centuries routinely coined names from classical roots so the words would feel scientific and be readable across European languages.
What is an eponym?
An eponym is a name derived from a person. Curium honours Marie and Pierre Curie, einsteinium honours Albert Einstein, and seaborgium was the first element officially named after a living person (Glenn T. Seaborg).
Who decides the official names of new elements?
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) approves all official element names and symbols. The discovering team submits a proposal, IUPAC runs a public review, and then publishes the final name.
Are any elements named after a country or state?
Yes, more than a dozen. Examples include francium (France), germanium (Germany), americium (the Americas), polonium (Poland), nihonium (Nihon, a Japanese name for Japan) and tennessine (the US state of Tennessee).
When does a newly synthesised element get its official name?
Once a joint IUPAC/IUPAP working party has confirmed the discovery (which can take years) the discovering team is invited to propose a name. IUPAC then runs a five-month public review before publishing the official name.