A meticulously curated collection of 30020 unique color names, built from many sources and thousands of community contributions.
The names of color function like a thread attached to a frightfully slender needle, capable of stitching together our most delicate emotions and memories. When the needle hits the target, we feel either pleasure or empathy. Kenya Hara โ White
Explore & search names | Use via JS / API | CDN | Color distribution | Submit a new name | Sources | Sponsors | Latest color names
This project aims to assemble the largest possible list of color names, while maintaining high standards for name quality. We have merged numerous lists, resolved duplicate names with different hex values, and adjusted colors where identical values had different names.
Unlike many other color lists, this collection has a permissive license, is strictly curated, and automations< 8000 /strong> ensure the highest quality:
- Single, comprehensive archive ๐: Digital-friendly color names in one place for design systems, creative tools, data viz, and code.
- No clutter, no clones ๐งน: Smart checks catch duplicates and "almost-duplicates" so names and hex values stay unique.
- Consistent naming rules โ๏ธ: Strict formatting for APA Title Case, language-specific articles, normalized "and" forms, and proper apostrophes.
- Valid, unique data โ : Every entry has a valid hex code, no stray whitespace, and no duplicate names or values.
- Grown by a global community ๐: Hundredths of contributors keep the list fresh, weird, poetic, and alive.
- Humanly curated ๐ง : Human curators review and shape every entry, and we discourage AIโgenerated names so the list stays intentional and playful.
- Open and permissive ๐ชช: Free to use, remix, fork, and build upon. Released under the MIT License, requiring only simple attribution.
- Inclusive naming ๐ค: Slurs, hate speech, and protected brand names are not accepted.
- AIโready ๐ค: Highโquality, humanโmade names and rich file formats make the list wellโsuited for training AI models.
This repository ships multiple curated lists:
- Full list: The full collection, including many names merged from historical and external sources. Itโs exhaustive and great for exploration, data viz, and longโtail use cases.
- Best of: A handโpicked subset of especially playful, evocative, or wellโcrafted names, chosen by human curators. Ideal when you want fewer, higherโsignal options.
- Short names: A smaller set of concise names (typically one word or very short phrases), useful where space is limited or brevity matters.
Install via npm:
npm install color-name-listMinimal JS example:
import { colornames } from 'color-name-list';
const white = colornames.find((c) => c.hex === '#ffffff');
console.log(white?.name); // => WhiteSee docs/usage-js.md for more examples and utilities.
Other language implementations maintained by the community:
- JS/TS: docs/usage-js.md
- Java/Kotlin: docs/usage-java-kotlin.md
- C#: docs/usage-csharp.md
- Rust: docs/usage-rust.md
- Color Picker & Name Search: Click the wheel to discover a color name or search by text.
- Color Picker: Click the colored area or enter a hex value below the name.
- Color Picker II: Move your mouse and scroll to select a color.
- Name Search: Full-text search on the color list.
- Color Distribution: 3D visualization of all color names in various color models.
- X Account: Posts random colors and lets you submit new ones.
via form ๐ / or twitter ๐ฆ
Please review the naming rules before contributing!
To contribute via Git, edit the src/colornames.csv file
and ensure tests pass locally (npm test).
See the full guidelines in CONTRIBUTING.md for naming rules, capitalization, CI behavior, and more.
~0.18% of the RGB color space
Color distribution ๐ฐ
When creating new color names, it's essential to understand which areas of a
color space are crowded and where new names can be added. For example, our API
returns the closest RGB color to a given HEX value. To prevent too many
colors from mapping to the same name, we strive for an even distribution in
color space: Visualization
The list is available in multiple formats, or you can use the public REST API, making it easy to integrate into your project.
The complete list of color names is available in various formats.
JSON / JSON.min / CSV / YML / TOON / JS / XML / HTML / SCSS
The curated "Best of" subset features a hand-picked selection of especially playful, evocative, or well-crafted color names, chosen by human curators.
JSON / JSON.min / CSV / YML / TOON / JS / XML / HTML / SCSS
The Short Names subset offers a smaller collection of concise color names, typically one word or very short phrases, ideal for scenarios where space is limited or brevity is essential.
JSON / JSON.min / CSV / YML / TOON / JS / XML / HTML / SCSS
Bundle size note (1.14 MB): For browser usage, consider the public REST API.
By default you get the full list. For leaner subsets,
you can import color-name-list/bestof or
color-name-list/short, or use the bestOf and
short lists via the public REST API.
More examples: see docs/usage-js.md.
To simplify access, we provide a free and public REST API for all color names and other public name lists. Full API code and documentation are available in this repository.
https://api.color.pizza/v1/?values=00f,f00,f00&list=bestOfThe API is free and has no usage limits. However, if your commercial app or site generates excessive traffic, you may be asked to become a sponsor.
You are welcome to self-host the APIโit's easy to deploy on Heroku and relies only on a few dependencies: Color-Name-API
npm install && npm run buildSee package.json for details.
- Thousands of user submissions Twitter / Google Docs / Github
- Wikipedia list of named colors (2018-02-23)
- Wada Sanzo's list of named colors
- CSS/HTML color names
- Wernerโs Nomenclature of Colours
- ntc.js (chir.ag's Name that Color library)
- xkcd color survey list
- htmlcsscolor.com
- OSX Crayons
- Crayola crayon
- Japanese Twelve Level Cap and Rank System colors
- Thailand weekday colors
- Chinese heavenly creatures colors
- Military Paint
- Olympian god colors
- Model Color Paints: Vallejo
- Fictional Colors (2018-05-09)
- Non English Transliterations: Japanese , Mandarin , Hindi , Persian , Russian , Mฤori
- Multiple paint, print, nail polish, model paint color lists
- Curated Machine Learning names from Matt DesLauriers and Nathan Kjer
- Team Fortress 2 paint colors
- Colorful Dots 500USD
- krissymashinsky.com 300USD
- color.museum 100CHF
- @tunnckoCore 50USD
- Myriam Aerne 40CHF
- Amin 15USD
- neverything 25USD/month
- Dmitry Iv. 10USD/month
| Item | Expenditure |
|---|---|
| Logo by Metafizzy | 800 |
| Item | Expenditure |
|---|---|
| Color Name API Server | 264.60/year |
| color.pizza domain name | 36.16/year |
| Cloudflare PRO Plan | 240/year |
- meodai Initiator, maintainer, name creator &, tooling
- Nirazul Name creator & tooling
- Bathos Tooling
- Metafizzy Logo ๐
- Alex Cristache X Account host and communications
Verena the naming overlord , Jess the name wizard , Syl , Stephanie Stutz , Simbiasamba , Jason Wilson , Inรชs Joรฃo , Nick Niles , Qwhex , Ichatdelune , basgys , Shelina S. , Trevor Elia , cheesits456 , Sandhya Subram , BerylBucket , Jimmy Fitzback , TLZ , DarthTorus , Carrion , BlueChaos , nachtfunke , Sean Gibbons , Brantley Sibo , Jeff Bronks , Joseph Oloughlin , Nathan Swift , Abra Giddings , Iraj Nelson , Alex Cristache
We are committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment. We actively remove any offensive, racist, or protected brand names from our list. While we strive to screen out such names, some may inadvertently remain. If you encounter any, please let us know so we can address them promptly.
