These 340 Unique Color Names Make the Best Color Thesaurus!

Need color names that inspire?

Wish you had a color thesaurus?

If you’re in search of more creative and unique color names than the basic “red” or “blue,” you’re in luck! Here’s a cool color names infographic by Ingrid Sundberg.

I know you love color, so I wanted to share it with you!

She’s come up with 20 different shades of white… as well as:

→ 20 shades of tan with names

→ 20 color names for yellow

→ 20 other names for orange color

→ 20 deep, bright, and light red color names

→ 20 shades of pink color names

→ 20 other names for purple color tones

→ 20 blue color shades with names

→ 20 green color names and swatches

→ 20 different brown color names

→ 20 color names for gray shades and tints

→ and 20 blacks – or names for black, anyway! Most appear to be the same inky hue.

Plus I’ve added more, with links to their hex codes and RGB values. Now there are 349 color names.

And not the eye-popping, fluorescent, old-school web 1.0 shades of color you’ll find on many sites. These are pretty and inspiring for creatives, like writers, artists, and fashion designers.

So enjoy!

Ingrid has purple hair – or perhaps I should say amethyst! She’s a YA writer and children’s book illustrator who says:

One of my ongoing word collections is of colors. I love to stop in the paint section of a hardware store and find new names for red or white or yellow.

Having a variety of color names at my fingertips helps me to create specificity in my writing. I can paint a more evocative image in my reader’s mind if I describe a character’s hair as the color of rust or carrot-squash, rather than red.

From The Color Thesaurus by Ingrid Sundberg.

So let’s get evocative with these creative color names!

20 Best Color Names for White

1. White
2. Pearl
3. Alabaster
4. Snow
5. Ivory
6. Cream
7. Eggshell
8. Cotton
9. Chiffon
10. Salt
11. Lace
12. Coconut
13. Linen
14. Bone
15. Daisy
16. Powder
17. Frost
18. Porcelain
19. Parchment
20. Rice

Back to top.

20 Color Name Ideas for Tan

1. Tan
2. Beige
3. Macaroon
4. Hazelwood
5. Granola
6. Oat
7. Eggnog
8. Fawn
9. Sugar Cookie
10. Sand
11. Sepia
12. Ltte
13. Oyster
14. Biscotti
15. Parmesan
16. Hazelnut
17. Sandcastle
18. Buttermilk
19. Sand Dollar
20. Shortbread

Brighter colors below! Or brighten your day with rainbow quotes.

Back to top.

33 Fun Color Names for Yellow

1. Yellow
2. Canary
3. Gold
4. Daffodil
5. Flaxen
6. Butter
7. Lemon
8. Mustard
9. Corn
10. Medallion
11. Dandelion
12. Fire
13. Bumblebee
14. Banana
15. Butterscotch
16. Dijon
17. Honey
18. Blonde
19. Pineapple
20. Tuscan Sun

Here are 13 more unique yellow names. Click to find all 20 yellow color codes for the ones listed below.

1. Bright yellow
2. Mellow yellow
3. Cyber yellow
4. Royal yellow
5. Banana
6. Tuscany yellow
7. Lemon yellow
8. Bumblebee
9. Cream yellow
10. Peach
11. Laguna yellow
12. Mustard yellow
13. Corn yellow
14. Pineapple yellow
15. Flaxen yellow
16. Eggnog yellow
17. Trombone yellow
18. Flax yellow
19. Ecru yellow
20. Sepia yellow

More fun! Learn more about the yellow color meaning.

Back to top.

29 Awesome Color Names for Orange

1. Orange
2. Tangerine
3. Marigold
4. Cider
5. Rust
6. Ginger
7. Tiger
8. Fire
9. Bronze
10. Cantaloupe
11. Apricot
12. Clay
13. Honey
14. Carrot
15. Squash
16. Spice
17. Marmalade
18. Amber
19. Sandstone
20. Yam

More oranges? Of course!

Here are 9 different names, plus you can click to see all 20 orange color codes for the names below, with swatches.

1. Bright orange
2. Gold orange
3. Goldenrod orange
4. Pumpkin
5. Fire orange
6. Ochre orange
7. Burnt orange
8. Dijon orange
9. Tangerine
10. Tiger orange
11. Honey orange
12. Carrot orange
13. Amber
14. Apricot
15. Bronze
16. Cider
17. Clay
18. Rust
19. Amber 2
20. Spice

Opt for the optimal orange by learning the color meaning of orange.

Back to top.

36 Great Color Names for Red

1. Red
2. Cherry
3. Rose
4. Jam
5. Merlot
6. Garnet
7. Crimson
8. Ruby
9. Scarlet
10. Wine
11. Brick
12. Apple
13. Mahogany
14. Blood
15. Sangria
16. Berry
17. Currant
18. Blush
19. Candy
20. Lipstick

Really need reds? There are 16 more ravishing red names below!

Click to find all 20 red hex codes and RGB values.

1. Salmon red
2. Scarlet
3. Barn red
4. Imperial red
5. Indian red
6. Chili red
7. Fire Brick red
8. Maroon
9. Redwood
10. Raspberry
11. Candy apple red
12. Ferrari red
13. Persian red
14. US Flag red
15. Carmine red
16. Burgundy
17. Crimson red
18. Sangria red
19. Mahogany

And then learn about the red color meaning.

Back to top.

31 Prettiest Color Names for Pink

1. Pink
2. Rose
3. Fuchsia
4. Punch
5. Blush
6. Watermelon
7. Flamingo
8. Rouge
9. Salmon
10. Coral
11. Peach
12. Strawberry
13. Rosewood
14. Lemonade
15. Taffy
16. Bubblegum
17. Ballet Slipper
18. Crepe
19. Magenta
20. Hot Pink

Not the perfect pink? Below are 11 different pink names.

Click to find pink hex codes for these 20.

1. Bright pink
2. Ruby
3. Ultra Pink
4. Thulian pink
5. Magenta
6. Rose pink
7. Lavender pink
8. Creamy pink
9. Fuchsia
10. French Rose
11. Cerise
12. Carnation pink
13. Brick pink
14. Amaranth
15. Taffy pink
16. Bubble Gum pink
17. Hot Pink
18. Punch pink
19. Pink Lemonade
20. Flamingo pink

Now peruse the pink color meanings.

Back to top.

31 Sophisticated Color Names for Purple

This is my favorite color panel! What’s yours?

You might want to learn what your Favorite Color says about you.

1. Purple
2. Mauve
3. Violet
4. Boysenberry
5. Lavender
6. Plum
7. Magenta
8. Lilac
9. Grape
10. Periwinkle
11. Sangria
12. Eggplant
13. Jam
14. Iris
15. Heather
16. Amethyst
17. Raisin
18. Orchid
19. Mulberry
20. Wine

Lots of baby names in this one! Mauve, Violet, Iris and Heather.

If you need vastly more violets, below are 11 additional names.

You can also check out all 20 purple hex codes for the list below.

1. Violet
2. Hibiscus
3. Mauve purple
4. Mulberry purple
5. Lavender
6. Orchid violet
7. Lilac purple
8. Electric violet
9. African violet
10. Grape
11. Amethyst
12. Byzantine purple
13. Fandango purple
14. Helio purple
15. Floral purple
16. Thistle
17. Royal purple
18. Lollipop purple
19. Plum purple
20. Eggplant

Designing with this hue? Learn the meaning of purple.

Back to top.

35 Cool Color Names for Blue

1. Blue
2. Slate
3. Sky
4. Navy
5. Indigo
6. Cobalt
7. Teal
8. Ocean
9. Peacock
10. Azure
11. Cerulean
12. Lapis
13. Spruce
14. Stone
15. Aegean
16. Berry
17. Denim
18. Admiral
19. Sapphire
20. Arctic

15 more! Find 20 blue hex codes to copy and paste for your designs.

1. Bright blue
2. Yale blue
3. Pigeon blue
4. Sky blue
5. Independence blue
6. Air Force blue
7. Baby blue
8. Navy blue
9. Steel blue
10. Carolina blue
11. Turkish blue
12. Maya blue
13. Cornflower blue
14. Olympic blue
15. Sapphire
16. Azure blue
17. Egyptian blue
18. Denim
19. Prussian blue
20. Space blue

Then check out the many meanings of blue.

Back to top.

32 Funky Color Names for Green

Some good baby names in here too! My granddaughter is named Fern 🙂

Other good names are Sage, Basil, and Olive.

But don’t choose a name without knowing the green color meanings.

1. Green
2. Chartreuse
3. Juniper
4. Sage
5. Lime
6. Fern
7. Olive
8. Emerald
9. Pear
10. Moss
11. Shamrock
12. Seafoam
13. Pine
14. Parakeet
15. Mint
16. Seaweed
17. Pickle
18. Pistachio
19. Basil
20. Crocodile

I think you’re getting the picture. 12 more green names below!

Click to see all 20 green hex codes and RGB values with color chart.

1. Bright green
2. Forest green
3. Sage green
4. Olive green
5. Lime green
6. Hunter green
7. Jade green
8. Artichoke green
9. Fern green
10. Jungle green
11. Laurel green
12. Moss green
13. Mint green
14. Pine green
15. Tea green
16. Army green
17. Emerald green
18. Kelly green
19. Sacramento green
20. Sea green

Back to top.

22 Unique Color Names for Brown

1. Brown
2. Coffee
3. Mocha
4. Peanut
5. Carob
6. Hickory
7. Wood
8. Pecan
9. Walnut
10. Caramel
11. Gingerbread
12. Syrup
13. Chocolate
14. Tortilla
15. Umber
16. Tawny
17. Brunette
18. Cinnamon
19. Penny
20. Cedar

Click to find 22 brown hex codes and color chart.

In this case it’s most of the ones listed above, with just these additional:

1. Traditional brown
2. Web safe brown
3. Mid dark brown
4. Espresso
5. Russet brown

Back to top.

30 Elegant Color Names for Gray

Or grey color names, if you use British English!

1. Grey
2. Shadow
3. Graphite
4. Iron
5. Pewter
6. Cloud
7. Silver
8. Smoke
9. Slate
10. Anchor
11. Ash
12. Porpoise
13. Dove
14. Fog
15. Flint
16. Charcoal
17. Pebble
18. Lead
19. Coin
20. Fossil

10 more great gray names below.

Find 22 gray hex codes for the greys listed below.

1. Gray
2. Fossil gray
3. Mink
4. Pearl River
5. Abalone
6. Harbor gray
7. Smoke
8. Thunder gray
9. Pewter
10. Steel gray
11. Stone
12. Iron
13. Rhino gray
14. Trout gray
15. Seal gray
16. Lava gray
17. Shadow
18. Ash
19. Anchor gray
20. Charcoal gray

Back to top.

20 Amazing Color Names for Black

How’s your eye for color? These are definitely hard to differentiate!

1. Black
2. Ebony
3. Crow
4. Charcoal
5. Midnight
6. Ink
7. Raven
8. Oil
9. Grease
10. Onyx
11. Pitch
12. Soot
13. Sable
14. Jet Black
15. Coal
16. Metal
17. Obsidian
18. Jade
19. Spider
20. Leather

Communicate your message with black by learning the black color meanings.

Back to top.

Colors Conclusion and Resources

Did you enjoy the color thesaurus?

Check out more popular posts and infographics about color!

Learn color symbolism with 14 Top Color Meanings.

Color infographic for personal insights:

Color Personality: Test Yours With This Infographic!

Top ten color infographics for business branding:

Business Colors: Here’s How To Choose The Best for YOU

Creative fun for color lovers:

149 FREE Coloring Pages for Kids and Adults

Pin the colorful infographic below and never be at a loss for color names again!

This color thesaurus was originally published September 2015 and has been updated several times.