1 Origin of Elemental Names

Geology | Mineral Exploration| Mining | Consultants

______________________________________________________________________________________

TYNTK-Things You Need To Know

Origin of Elemental Names
Team Geoxplorers
15 March 2021

Most of the readers especially those in the mining & metal industry may be aware about the 108 elements
in the Periodic Table and about the origin of names of some elements. We researched and prepared a list
of the origin of names of 99 elements. This 3-pager will serve as a ready reckoner for serving, entry level
or retired geoscientists, metallurgists, academicians, professionals and industry venture capitalists-and
especially those who enjoy learning and knowing new things.

NB: As most of the elements do not occur in native state and have to be extracted from corresponding ores/minerals through a
dovetailing mining value chain sequence ranging from Exploration through, Evaluation, Excavation, Processing & Refining.

The element Selenium name comes from Greek "selena" meaning 'moon'
Read on to know more…..

Origins of Elemental Names

1. Actinium Greek "aktis meaning beam or ray"

2. Aluminum Latin "alumen"
3. Americium After the Americas
4. Antimony Latin "stibbum meaning mark"
5. Argon Greek "argon"
6. Arsenic Greek "arsenikos" meaning male from the belief that metals were different
sexes.
7. Astantine Greek "astatos" meaning unstable
8. Barium Greek "barys" meaning heavy

M +91 8800549016 W www.geoxplorers.com E contactus@geoxplorers.com 1

2 Origin of Elemental Names

9. Berkelium Berkeley, home of the University of California

10. Beryllium Greek "beryl" meaning sweet
11. Bismuth German "weisse masse" meaning white mass
12. Bromine Greek "bromos" meaning stench
13. Cadmium Latin "cadmia" ancient name for calamine, a mineral
14. Calcium Latin "calx" meaning lime or limestone
15. Californium Named after the State and University of California
16. Carbon Latin "carbos" meaning charcoal
17. Cerium Named after the asteroid Ceres which was discovered 2 years before this
element.
18. Cesium Latin "caesius" meaning sky blue
19. Chlorine Greek "chloros" meaning greenish-yellow
20. Chromium Greek "chroma" meaning colour
21. Cobalt German "kobold" meaning goblin or evil spirit
22. Copper Latin "cuprum" named for an island off the coast of Cypress
23. Curium Named after Marie and Pierre Curie
24. Dysprosium Greek "dysprositos" meaning 'hard to get at!'
25. Einsteinium Named after Albert Einstein
26. Erbium A town in Sweden
27. Europium Named after Europe
28. Fermium Named after Enrico Fermi
29. Fluorine Latin "fluere" meaning flow or flux
30. Francium Named after France
31. Gadolinium Named after Gadolin, a Fininsh chemist
32. Gallium Latin "gallia" meaning France
33. Germanium Latin "germania" meaning germany
34. Gold Latin "arum" meaning 'shining dawn'
35. Hafnium From Hafnia, the Latin name for Copenhagen
36. Helium Greek "helios" meaning 'the sun' where helium was first found
37. Holmium Latin "holmia" the Latin name of Stockholm
38. Hydrogen Greek "hyro" meaning water and "genes" meaning forming
39. Indium From the brillant indigo line in it's spectrum
40. Iodine Greek "iodes" meaning violet
41. Iridium Latin "iris" meaning rainbow
42. Iron Latin "ferrum" meaning grey
43. Krypton Greek "kryptos" meaning hidden
44. Lanthanum Greek "lantanein" meaning to,'lie hidden'
45. Lawrencium After E.O. Lawrence
46. Lead Latin "plumbum"
47. Lithium Greek "lithos" meaning stone
48. Lutetium From the name Lutetia, the ancient name for Paris
49. Magnesium From the word Magnesia which is a district in Thessaly
50. Manganese Latin "magnes" meaning magnet
51. Mendelevium After Dmitri Mendeleev, creator of the periodic table
52. Mercury Latin "hydrogyrum" meaning 'liquid silver' and after the planet Mercury
53. Molybdenum Greek "molybdos" meaning 'lead'
54. Neodymium Greek "neos" meaning 'new" and "didymus" meaning 'twin'
55. Neon Greek "neo" meaning 'new'
56. Neptunium After the planet Neptune
57. Nickel German "nickel" referring to Satan or 'Old Nick'

M +91 8800549016 W www.geoxplorers.com E contactus@geoxplorers.com 2

3 Origin of Elemental Names

58. Niobium After 'Niobe' daughter of Tantalus in Greek mythology

59. Nobelium Named after Alfred Nobel, creator of the Nobel Peace Prize
60. Osmium Greek "osme" meaning smell
61. Oxygen Greek "oxys" meaning 'sharp or acid' and "genes" meaning 'forming'
62. Palladium Named after the asteroid 'Pallus'
63. Phosphorus Greek "phosphoros" meaning light-bearing, ancient name for the planet
Venus
64. Platinum Spanish "platina" meaning silver
65. Plutonium After the planet Pluto
66. Polonium After Poland
67. Praseodymium Greek "prasios" meaning 'green' and "Didymus" meaning 'twin'
68. Promethium After Prometheus, who according to Greek mythology stole fire from the
Gods on Mount Olympus
69. Protactinium Greek "protos" meaning 'first'
70. Radium Latin "radius" meaning 'ray'
71. Radon Derived from the name radium
72. Rhenium Latin "rhenus" meaning 'The Rhine'
73. Rhodium Greek "rhodon" meaning 'rose'
74. Rubidium Latin "ribidus" meaning 'deepest red'
75. Ruthenium Latin "Ruthenia" meaning 'Russia'
76. Samarium Named after the mineral 'samarskite'
77. Scandium Latin "Scandia" referring to Scandanavia
78. Selenium Greek "selena" meaning 'moon'
79. Silicon Latin "silex" meaning 'flint'
80. Silver Latin "argentum" meaning 'silver'
81. Sodium Latin "sodanum", a headache remedy
82. Strontium Named after Strontion, a Scottish town
83. Sulphur Latin "sulphurium" meaning 'brimstone'
84. Tantalum Greek "Tantalos", Father of Niobe
85. Technetium Greek "technetos" meaning 'artificial'
86. Tellurium Latin "tellus" meaning 'earth'
87. Terbium A village in Sweden
88. Thallium Greek "thallus" meaning 'a green shoot or twig'
89. Thorium Named after 'thor', the Scandanavian God of War
90. Thulium Named after 'Thule', the most ancient name of Scandanavia
91. Tin Latin "stannum" meaning 'tin'
92. Titanium Latin "titan", the first sons of the Earth
93. Tungsten Swedish "tung sten" meaning 'heavy stone'
94. Uranium After the planet Uranus
95. Vanadium After the Scandanavian Goddess Vanadis
96. Ytterbium After Ytterby, a village in Sweden
97. Yttrium Same as above
98. Zinc German "Zink" meaning 'of obscure origin'
99. Zirconium Arabic "zargun" meaning 'gold colour'

Mining Business Opportunities Available -Contact if interested

 Lithium Battery Metals Investment in Zimbabwe & Argentina

 Vehicle mounted Gravimetric Geophysical Survey-Beta Testing in Singapore
 60,000, MT lead tailings. (45-69% Pb) in West Africa

M +91 8800549016 W www.geoxplorers.com E contactus@geoxplorers.com 3