Color Name Finder

What does the Color Name Finder do?

The Color Name Finder turns a hex code into a color name. Type #FF6B6B, click Find Color Name, and it answers Salmon, with the swatch, hex code and RGB value of that named color next to it. You can also skip the typing and pick a shade from the color picker.

Every name it returns is a real CSS color keyword, so you can paste it straight into a stylesheet: color: salmon; works in every modern browser. The lookup runs in your browser, there's no signup, and nothing you type is sent anywhere.

One thing to know up front: the finder chooses from a short list of 32 well-known CSS names, not from every named color that exists. That makes it good at telling you a color's family in plain words ("it's a dodger blue") and less good at precise shades. The sections below show exactly which names it knows and where that list runs out.

How to find a color name from a hex code

1. Type or paste a six-digit hex code into the text box. #1DA1F2 and 1DA1F2 both work, in upper or lower case.
2. Or click the swatch on the left and pick a color. The hex box fills in for you.
3. Click Find Color Name.
4. Read the result: the color name, a swatch of that named color, and its hex and RGB values.

If the code isn't six hex digits, nothing happens. Three-digit shorthand such as #F00 isn't accepted, so write it out in full as #FF0000. To get a hex code from an RGB value first, run it through the Color Converter.

The 32 color names it knows

These are the names the finder can return. Each one is a standard CSS keyword with the exact value shown.

If your hex code is one of these exactly, you get an exact match. Everything else gets the nearest one on the list.

How the closest color is chosen

A hex code is three numbers in disguise. #FF6B6B splits into FF, 6B and 6B, which are 255, 107 and 107 in decimal: the red, green and blue channels. The finder compares those three numbers with each of the 32 named colors and picks the one with the smallest gap.

The gap is the straight-line distance between two points in RGB space. For each channel it takes the difference, squares it, and adds the three squares together. The smallest total wins.

Here's the worked example for #FF6B6B against the three closest names:

Salmon has the smallest total, so it wins. The tool doesn't show these numbers, only the winner. This method treats red, green and blue as equally important. Your eyes don't: they are far more sensitive to changes in green than in blue. Finders built on perceptual color spaces (CIELAB and its "Delta E" scores) or on weighted formulas get closer to what people actually see. This one keeps the plain formula, which is fast and gives the same answer every time.

Common hex codes and the names you'll get

Every row below was run through the finder's own matching rule.

Where a short list gets it wrong

With 32 names covering 16,777,216 possible hex codes, some answers are a stretch. These are the cases to watch:

• Dark grays read as black. #333333 returns black, because the darkest gray on the list is #808080, which is further away.
• Off-whites drift to lavender. #F0F0F0 and beige #F5F5DC both return lavender (#E6E6FA), the nearest pale color on the list.
• Olive becomes sienna. #808000 is the CSS color olive, but olive isn't on the list, so it lands on sienna, a brown.
• Forest green becomes green. #228B22 is CSS forestgreen. The finder answers green, which is the right family and the wrong shade.
• Brand greens can land on teal. #1B6B45 is a deep green, but by straight RGB distance teal is closer than green.

Hex codes, RGB and CSS color names

A few facts that make named colors easier to work with:

• A hex code is just RGB. Each pair of hex digits runs from 00 to FF, which is 0 to 255. Three channels of 256 values each give 16,777,216 colors. The hex to RGB converter shows the split for any code.
• CSS defines about 148 color names. Sixteen date back to the first CSS spec, orange came next, and most of the rest were adopted from the X11 color list that Unix systems used. The newest is rebeccapurple (#663399).
• Names are case-insensitive. Salmon, salmon and SALMON are the same color in CSS.
• Gray and grey are both valid. Every gray keyword has both spellings, such as lightgray and lightgrey.
• darkgray is lighter than gray. darkgray is #A9A9A9 and gray is #808080. It's a well-known quirk that came from merging two older color lists.

If you need the full name for a shade that isn't on the list, pick the closest swatch in the Hex Color Picker. To build a set of colors around one you like, use the Color Palette Generator. To check how a color looks to people with color vision deficiency, try the Color Blindness Simulator.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find the name of a color from its hex code?

Paste the six-digit hex code into the Color Name Finder and click Find Color Name. It returns the nearest of 32 standard CSS color names, with that name's own hex and RGB values so you can see how close it is.

Can I enter an RGB value instead of hex?

Not directly. The finder reads six-digit hex codes. Convert RGB to hex first with the Color Converter, then paste the result here. For example, rgb(255, 107, 107) is #FF6B6B.

Why did my color get a name that looks different?

Because the finder only knows 32 names, the nearest one can still be some distance away. Dark grays come back as black and off-whites as lavender. Compare the two swatches; if they differ a lot, use the name as a color family, not an exact match.

Does every hex code have a name?

No. There are 16,777,216 hex colors and only about 148 CSS color names. Most colors have no official name at all, which is why finders return the closest named color instead.

Can I use the name in CSS?

Yes. Every name the finder returns is a valid CSS keyword, for example background: dodgerblue;. Keep in mind that the named color is usually not identical to your hex code. If the exact shade matters, keep using the hex.

Does the tool accept three-digit hex codes like #F00?

No. Write shorthand codes out in full: #F00 becomes #FF0000, which the finder names red.