Who Named All These Elements?
Many of the element names came from other languages. Most are from
Latin or Greek. Use your Periodic Table to fill in the symbol for each one.
Symbol
Latin Name
Silver
Argentum (means “silver”)
Gold
Aurum (means “gold”)
Cuprum (named after the island of Cyprus where copper is
mined)
Ferrum (means “iron”)
Copper
Iron
Mercury
Hydrargyrum (means “liquid silver”)
Potassium
Kalium (means potash, a compound that contains potassium)
Sodium
Tin
Natrium (means “soda”)
Plumbum (Plumbers used lead to seal pipes. The word
“plumber” also comes from this root.)
Stannum (means “easy to melt”)
Antimony
Stibium (named for the ore in which antimony is found)
Lead
Symbol
Greek Meaning
Lithium
Means “rock”
Carbon
Means “charcoal” which is made of carbon
Neon
Means “new”
Phosphorous
Means “bringer of light” because it glows in the dark
Bromine
Means “foul odor” (because it stinks!)
Krypton
Means “hidden”. It is a very rare element.
Xenon
Means “strange”
Barium
Means “heavy”
Iridium
Means “rainbow”. Its salts are brightly colored.
Hydrogen
From hydro genes which means “water making”
Oxygen
From oxy genes which means “acid making”
From nitre genes which means “nitre making”. Nitre is an old
word for a chemical in gunpowder and fertilizers.
Nitrogen
Symbol
Meaning
Tungsten
German for “wolf dirt”
Cobalt
German for “goblin” (No one knows why!??)
Platinum
Spanish for “silver” (It’s silver colored.)
Chemistry, Astronomy, and
a Little Mythology, Too!
Some elements are named after planets and other celestial objects. Use your Periodic
Table to find the symbol for each element listed here.
Element
Symbol
What It Is Named After:
Helium
The Sun (Greek)
Neptunium
Neptune (Latin)
Selenium
Moon (Greek)
Cerium
The asteroid Ceres (Latin) which was discovered the same year (1801).
Tellurium
The Earth (Latin)
Palladium
The asteroid Pallas (Greek) which was discovered the same year (1803).
Uranium
Uranus (Greek), the planet had just been discovered (1789)
Plutonium
Pluto (Latin and Greek)
Chemists must have enjoyed reading about Greek and Norse mythology because they
named several elements after the characters in the stories. The symbol for each element
is given below. Use your Periodic Table to find the name of each.
Element
Symbol
Mythology Character
Th
Norse god of thunder
Ti
Named for the Titans, giants of Greek mythology
Pm
Greek Titan who stole the secret of fire from the gods
V
Named after Vanadis, a Norse goddess
Ta
Greek god who was punished by Zeus
Nb
Named for Niobe, Tantalus’s daughter (Greek)
People and Places
If you were a famous person of science, they just might name an element after
you! They did for these people. Write the symbol next to each name. Use an
encyclopedia or the internet to find out what each person was famous for.
Element
Symbol
Person
Mendelevium
Fermium
Einsteinium
Dmitri Mendeleev
Enrico Fermi
Albert Einstein
Nobelium
Curium
Lawrencium
Rutherfordium
Seaborgium
Bohrium
Alfred Nobel
Marie and Pierre Curie
Ernest Lawrence
Ernest Rutherford
Glenn Seaborg
Niels Bohr
Meitnerium
Gadolinium
Copernicium
Lise Meitner
Johan Gadolin
Nicolas Copernicus
What They Are Famous For:
Elements are found everywhere on the Earth, so it’s fitting that they named some
elements after places where they were discovered. Use your Periodic Table to fill in the
symbol for each element.
Element
Symbol
Place It Is Named For
Americium
Californium
Berkelium
America
California
Berkeley, California
Europium
Germanium
Hassium
Rhenium
Francium
Gallium
Europe
Germany
The German state of Hesse
Rhenus, Greek name for the Rhine River
France
The Latin name for France is Gallia.
Lutetia
Magnesium
Yttrium
Terbium
Erbium
Scandium
Latin name for Paris, France
Magnesia in Greece where it was found
Ytterby, Sweden where it was mined
(Yt)terby, Sweden where it was mined (Yup, it’s the same place.)
(Ytt)erby, Sweden where it was mined (Same place again!)
Sweden, which used to be called Scandia
Holmium
Thulium
Hafium
Strontium
Ruthenium
Dubnium
Latin name for Stockholm, Sweden
Thule, ancient name for Scandinavia
Latin name for Copenhagen, Denmark
Strontian, Scotland where it was first found
Latin for Russia since it was discovered by a Russian scientist
Russian town of Dubna