How does the color matching work?

We calculate the Euclidean distance between your color and every color in our database in RGB space. The color with the smallest distance is returned as the closest match.

What color databases are included?

We include all 147 CSS named colors (like "tomato", "cornflowerblue", "mediumspringgreen") plus popular Tailwind CSS color names.

Why does the nearest name look slightly different from my color?

Named-color datasets are discrete, so your exact value usually falls between named entries; the tool returns the closest one. The comparison swatch shows the small difference, and nearby alternatives let you pick a better-fitting name.

Can I get the CSS keyword for a HEX value?

Yes. If your color is close to one of the 140 CSS named colors, the tool returns that keyword (such as tomato or rebeccapurple) so you can use a readable name in stylesheets instead of a six-digit hex.

Why use perceptual distance instead of RGB math?

Plain RGB distance is misleading — a big RGB gap between two greys can look identical, while a small gap between two blues is obvious. CIEDE2000 models how the eye actually perceives differences, so the nearest name matches human intuition.

Can it match a Pantone or RAL color?

It searches Pantone and RAL alongside CSS, X11 and xkcd names, returning the closest entry across all datasets. Because Pantone and RAL are physical ink and coating standards, an on-screen match is an approximation useful for communication rather than exact reproduction.

What is the Δ (delta) number next to each match?

It is the CIEDE2000 color difference between your input and the named color. Smaller is closer: a ΔE under about 1 is essentially indistinguishable, while larger values mean the named color is a looser approximation.

Color Name Finder — Find the Name of Any Color

How to use Color Name Finder

Find the closest named color to any HEX, RGB, or HSL value — with results from CSS color names, Pantone, RAL, and the full X11/xkcd color datasets. Understand what a color is actually called, find nearby named alternatives, and copy the exact CSS color keyword for use in stylesheets. Covers 1,500+ named colors across all major naming systems.

Enter a HEX, RGB, or HSL color value in the input field.
The tool finds the nearest named color using perceptual distance (CIEDE2000).
Review the name, its dataset source, and the exact color comparison swatch.
Browse nearby named colors sorted by similarity.
Copy the CSS color name, Pantone reference, or HEX value to clipboard.

Your data never leaves your device — 100% private processing.

Color naming datasets

CSS standard colors include 140 named keywords (aliceblue, cornflowerblue, rebeccapurple) defined in the CSS specification. X11 named colors (from the Unix X Window System) include 550 names, most of which map to CSS keywords. The xkcd Color Survey collected over 200,000 responses to identify the most intuitive English names for 954 colors. Pantone is the print industry standard with thousands of numbered codes. RAL is the European standard for industrial and architectural coatings. This tool searches all datasets simultaneously and returns the closest match by perceptual distance.

Perceptual color distance (CIEDE2000)

Color matching uses CIEDE2000 — the most accurate perceptual color distance formula — rather than simple Euclidean distance in RGB space. RGB distance is misleading: a large RGB difference between two near-identical grey tones is perceptually tiny, while a small RGB difference between two blues can be quite noticeable. CIEDE2000 accounts for the non-uniform sensitivity of human color vision (we are more sensitive to hue changes in saturated colors and lightness changes in dark colors) to return the most intuitive "nearest color" result.

Worked examples

Exact CSS keyword

Inputs: #ff6347

Result: nearest name "Tomato" (exact CSS keyword, ΔE ≈ 0)

Another exact match

Inputs: #6495ed

Result: nearest name "Cornflower Blue" (exact CSS keyword)

Glossary

CSS named colors: The 140 HTML/CSS color keywords (red, blue, tomato, etc.) defined in the CSS Color Level 4 specification.
Pantone: A proprietary color matching system widely used in print, fashion, and product design to specify exact ink colors.
RAL: A European color standard system used in architectural, industrial, and automotive coatings, with ~200 Classic colors.
CIEDE2000: The most accurate mathematical formula for measuring the perceived difference between two colors.

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Color Name Finder

5 Nearby Named Colors

How to use Color Name Finder

Color naming datasets

Perceptual color distance (CIEDE2000)

Worked examples

Glossary

Related reading

Frequently Asked Questions

Why use Color Name Finder?

Common use cases

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