CSS Color Names

All 148 CSS named colors with preview and hex code. Search by name, sort by hue, and click any card to copy the hex.

Click a card to copy its hex code.

Where the 148 CSS color names come from

Most of the names trace back to the color palette of the X11 window system from the 1980s, which browsers later adopted and the CSS Color module made official. That's why whimsical names like papayawhip and mistyrose sit right next to plain old red and blue. Color number 148, rebeccapurple (#663399), was added in 2014 in memory of Rebecca, the daughter of web developer Eric Meyer, who passed away at age six — it's the only name that came straight from the web community itself.

When to use names and when to use hex codes

Named colors are handy for prototypes, examples and teaching: tomato is far easier to remember than #ff6347. In production, though, hex codes win — they cover 16.7 million shades versus just 148. Watch out for the duplicates: gray and grey (and every variant of them) are the exact same color, as are aqua/cyan and fuchsia/magenta. And beware of darkgray, which is paradoxically lighter than gray — a historical quirk inherited from X11.