npm.io
14.47.0 • Published 4d ago

color-name-list

Licence
MIT
Version
14.47.0
Deps
0
Size
18.4 MB
Vulns
0
Weekly
0
Stars
3.0K
SummaryDependencyVersions

Color Names Logo

Color Names

GitHub release npm version npm github sponsor count

A meticulously curated collection of 31914 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 – White

Explore & search names | Use via JS / API | CDN | Color distribution | Submit a new name | Sources | Sponsors | Latest color names

About

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.

A List Apart

Unlike many other color lists, this collection has a permissive license, is strictly curated, and automations ensure the highest quality:

  • Single, comprehensive archive : Digital-friendly color names in one place for design systems, creative tools, data viz, and code.
  • No clutter, no clones : Smart checks catch duplicates and "almost-duplicates" so names and hex values stay unique.
  • Consistent naming rules : Strict formatting for APA Title Case, language-specific articles, normalized "and" forms, and proper apostrophes.
  • Valid, unique data : Every entry has a valid hex code, no stray whitespace, and no duplicate names or values.
  • Grown by a global community : Hundreds of contributors keep the list fresh, weird, poetic, and alive.
  • Humanly curated : Human curators review and shape every entry, and we discourage AI‑generated names so the list stays intentional and playful.
  • Open and permissive : Free to use, remix, fork, and build upon. Released under the MIT License, requiring only simple attribution.
  • Inclusive naming : Slurs, hate speech, and protected brand names are not accepted.
  • AI‑ready : High‑quality, human‑made names and rich file formats make the list well‑suited for training AI models.
Name Lists

This repository ships multiple curated lists:

  • Full list: The full collection, including many names merged from historical and external sources. It’s exhaustive and great for exploration, data viz, and long‑tail use cases.
  • Best of: A hand‑picked subset of especially playful, evocative, or well‑crafted names, chosen by human curators. Ideal when you want fewer, higher‑signal options.
  • Short names: A smaller set of concise names (typically one word or very short phrases), useful where space is limited or brevity matters.

Usage

Install via npm:

npm install color-name-list

Minimal JS example:

import { colornames } from 'color-name-list';

const white = colornames.find((c) => c.hex === '#ffffff');
console.log(white?.name); // => White

See docs/usage-js.md for more examples and utilities.

Other language implementations maintained by the community:

Explore

Color Name Submission

Submit your own color names by editing the src/colornames.csv file and opening a pull request.

Please review the naming rules before contributing!

Contributing via Git

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.

Color Count: 31914

~0.19% of the RGB color space

Color distribution

3d representation of color distribution in RGB Space (Preview image of link above)

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

Consuming the list

The list is available in multiple formats, or you can use the public REST API, making it easy to integrate into your project.

CDN
All Names (Full list)

The complete list of color names is available in various formats.

JSON / JSON.min / CSV / YML / TOON / JS / XML / HTML / SCSS

Best of Names subset

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

Short Names subset

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

Usage JS

Bundle size note (1.22 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.

API

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.

API example
https://api.color.pizza/v1/?values=00f,f00,f00&list=bestOf
API Disclaimer

The 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 API—it's easy to deploy on Heroku and relies only on a few dependencies: Color-Name-API

Building 
npm install && npm run build

See package.json for details.

Java/Kotlin, C#, Rust

Sources

Sources: Names

Costs & Sponsors

Sponsors
Past Sponsors
Project Costs USD
One-Time
Item Expenditure
Logo by Metafizzy 800
Periodic
Item Expenditure
Color Name API Server 264.60/year
color.pizza domain name 36.16/year
Cloudflare PRO Plan 240/year

Contributors

Color Namers

Verena the naming overlord , Jess the name wizard , Syl , Stephanie Stutz , Simbiasamba , Jason Wilson , Inês João , 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 , Evan Gardner , Eliiiiii , Code Ghost , Alex Field , BangHann , James Galvan

Disclaimer ‍

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.

Latest Color Names

New colors

Keywords

colorscolorcolourcoloursnamesnaming