The name is derived from the Greek ‘hydro genes’, meaning water forming.

Hydrogen

From the Greek ‘lithos’ meaning stone.

Lithium

The name is derived from the English soda and the chemical symbol comes from the Latin 'natrium', which means the same.

Sodium

The name is derived from the English potash (from which it was first isolated), and the chemical symbol comes from the Latin kalium, ‘potash’.

Potassium

The name is derived from the Latin rubidius, ‘red’.

Rubidium

The name is derived from the Latin caesius, ‘sky blue’.

Caesium

The element is named after France.

Francium

The name comes from 'beryllos', the Greek for the semi-precious stone beryl.

Beryllium

The element is named after Magnesia, a district of Thessaly in Greece, where it was first found.

Magnesium

The name is derived from the Latin ‘calx’ meaning lime.

Calcium

The element is named after the town of Strontian in Scotland, where its ore was first found.

Strontium

The name comes from the Greek ‘barys’, meaning heavy.

Barium

The name is derived from the Latin ‘radius’, meaning ray.

Radium

The name is derived from the Arabic 'buraq', borax, its principal ore.

Boron

From 'alumen', the Latin for the mineral alum.

Aluminum

The name is derived from 'Gallia', the Latin name for France.

Gallium

The element is named after indigo, which is the colour of the brightest line in its spectrum.

Indium

The name is derived from the Greek ‘thallos’, meaning green shoot.

Thallium

The name is derived from the Latin ‘carbo’, charcoal.

Carbon

The name is derived from the Latin ‘silicus’, meaning flint.

Silicon

The name is derived from 'Germania', the Latin name for Germany.

Germanium

The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon. The chemical symbol comes from the Latin ‘stannum’, related to the word ‘stagnum’ (dripping), because it melts easily.

Tin

The name is derived from the Anglo- Saxon ‘laedan’. The chemical symbol comes from the Latin ‘plumbum’.

Lead

The name is derived from the Greek ‘nitron genes’, meaning nitre forming : nitre is potassium nitrate, commonly known as saltpetre.

Nitrogen

The name is derived from the Greek ‘phosphoros’, meaning bringer of light, because it glows in the dark.

Phosphorous

The name comes from 'arsenikon', the Greek name for the pigment yellow orpiment.

Arsenic

From the Greek 'anti monos', not alone, and the symbol from the Latin word 'stibium', mark, because the ore stibnite (antimony sulfide) was once used as mascara.

Antimony

The name comes from the German 'weisse Masse' (white mass), which became Latinised as bisemutum.

Bismuth

The name is derived from the Greek ‘oxygenes’, meaning acid forming.

Oxygen

The name may have one or two derivations : the Sanskrit ‘sulvere’ or the Latin ‘sulphurium’.

Sulfur

The name is derived from the Greek ‘selene’, meaning moon.

Selenium

The name is derived from the Latin ‘tellus’, meaning Earth.

Tellurium

Marie Curie named the element after her homeland Poland.

Polonium

The name is derived from the Latin ‘fleure’, to flow.

Fluorine

The name is derived from the Greek ‘chloros’, meaning pale green.

Chlorine

From the Greek ‘bromos’ meaning stench.

Bromine

The name is derived from the Greek ‘iodes’, meaning violet.

Iodine

From the Greek ‘astatos’ meaning unstable.

Astatine

The name is derived from 'Scandia', the Latin name for Scandinavia.

Scandium

The element is named after the Swedish town of Ytterby (see Erbium).

Yttrium

The name is derived from the Greek 'lanthana’, meaning to lie hidden.

Lanthanium

From the Greek ‘aktino’ meaning ray.

Actinum

The element is named after the Titans, in Greek mythology the sons of Uranus the sky god and Gaia the Earth goddess.

Titanium

The name is derived from the Arabic ‘zargun’, meaning gold colour.

Zirconium

The name is derived from 'Hafnia', the Latin word for Copenhagen.

Hafnium

The element is named after Lord Rutherford, a New Zealand physicist and chemist.

Rutherfordium

The element is named after 'Vanadis', the old Norse name for the Scandinavian goddess Freyja.

Vanadium

The name is derived from Niobe, in Greek mythology the daughter of Tantalus, after whom the very similar element is named. It was once known in the USA as columbium.

Niobium

The element is named after Tantalus, in Greek mythology the father of Niobe.

Tantalum

The element is named after the Russian town of Dubna.

Dubnium

The name is derived from the Greek ‘chroma’ meaning colour.

Chromium

The name is derived from the Greek ‘molybdos’, meaning lead.

Molybdenum

The name is derived from the Swedish ‘tungsten’, heavy stone, and the chemical symbol from ‘wolfram’, derived from the German ‘Wolf” (wolf) and ‘Rahm’ (dirt).

Tungsten

The element is named after Glenn T Seaborg, the American nuclear chemist and Nobel prize winner.

Seaborgium

The name is derived from the Latin ‘magnes’, magnet.

Manganese

The name is derived from the Greek ‘tekhnetos’, meaning artificial.

Technetium

The element is named after 'Rhenus', the Latin name for the river Rhine.

Rhenium

The element is named after Niels Bohr, the Danish physicist.

Bohrium

The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon ‘iren’, and the symbol from the Latin ‘ferrum’, meaning iron.

Iron

The name is derived from 'Ruthenia', the Latin name for Russia.

Ruthenium

The name is derived from the Greek ‘osme’, meaning smell - the metal surface gives off a volatile osmium tetroxide, which has a characteristic odour.

Osmium

It is named after Lise Meitner, the Austrian physicist who first suggested spontaneous nuclear fission.

Meitnerium

The element is named after the German state of Hesse, where the German Nuclear Research Institute is located.

Hassium

The name is derived from the German ‘Kobald’, meaning goblin.

Cobalt

The name is derived from the Greek ‘rhodon’, meaning rose.

Rhodium

The name is derived from the Latin ‘iris’, meaning rainbow.

Iridium

The name is a shortened version of the German ‘Kupfernickel’, meaning Devil’s copper or St. Nicholas’s copper.

Nickel

The element is named after the asteriod Pallas, also discovered in 1803.

Palladium

The name is derived from the Spanish ‘platina’, meaning silver.

Platinum

The name is derived from 'Cuprum', the Latin name for Cyprus.

Copper

The name is derived from the Anglo- Saxon ‘seolfur’, and the chemical symbol from the Latin ‘argentum’.

Silver

The name is the Anglo-Saxon word for the metal and the symbol comes from the Latin ‘aurum’.

Gold

The name is derived from the German ‘Zink’.

Zinc

The name is derived from the Latin 'cadmia', the name for the mineral calamine.

Cadmium

The element is named after the a planet and the symbol comes from the Latin ‘hydragyrum’, meaning liquid silver.

Mercury

The name is derived from the Greek ‘helios’, sun.

Helium

The name is derived from the Greek ‘neos’, meaning new.

Neon

From the Greek ‘argos’ meaning inactive.

Argon

The name is derived from the Greek ‘kryptos’, meaning hidden.

Krypton

The name is derived from the Greek ‘xenos’, meaning strange.

Xenon

The name is derived from radium.

Radon

The element is named after the asteroid Ceres, discovered in 1801.

Cerium

The element is named after 'Thor', the Scandinavian god of thunder.

Thorium

The name is derived from the Greek ‘prasios didymos’, meaning green twin.

Praseodymium

The name is derived from the Greek ‘protos aktino’, meaning first ray.

Protactinium

The name is derived from the Greek ‘neos didymos’, meaning new twin.

Neodymium

The element is named after the planet Uranus.

Uranium

The element is named after Prometheus, who in Greek mythology stole fire from the gods.

Promethium

The element is named after the planet Neptune.

Neptunium

The element is named after the mineral samarskite.

Samarium

The element is named after the planet Pluto.

Plutonium

The element is named after Europe.

Europium

The element is named after America.

Americium

The element is named after J. Gadolin, a Finnish chemist.

Gadolinium

The element is named after Pierre and Marie Curie.

Curium

The element is named after the Swedish town of Ytterby (see Erbium).

Terbium

The element is named after the place where it was discovered.

Berkelium

The name is derived from the Greek 'dysprositos', meaning hard to get.

Dysprosium

The element is named after California.

Californium

The name is derived from 'Holmia', the Latin word for Stockholm.

Holmium

The element is named after Albert Einstein.

Einsteinium

The element is named after the Swedish town of Ytterby, where the mineral from which it was first isolated was discovered.

Erbium

The element is named after Enrico Fermi, the atomic physicist.

Fermium

The element is named after 'Thule', the ancient name for Scandinavia.

Thulium

The element is named after Dimitri Mendeleev who devised the periodic table of the elements.

Mendelevium

The element is named after the Swedish town of Ytterby (see Erbium).

Ytterbium

The element was named after Alfred Nobel.

Nobelium

The name is derived from 'Lutetia', the Latin name for Paris.

Lutetium

The element is named after Ernest Lawrence, the atomic physicist.

Lawrencium

Special Thanks to the Chemical society and its visual interpretation of the periodic table! ( (