What are CSS Named Colors and How to Use Them

CSS can be thanked for making our web pages look good. Choosing the right color can sometimes be a challenge, especially if you’re not a graphic designer. With the three primary colors of red, green, and blue, we can come up with 16,777,216 million unique colors.

If you’ve worked with CSS colors to change the text or background color of an element on a page you’ve likely used hexadecimal or rgb values that represent a specific color. For example, to set the text color on a page to black you might do something like:

body {
  color: #000000;
}

or perhaps:

body {
  color: rgb(0, 0, 0);
}

But did you know that practically all browsers support a list of named colors that you can use in your CSS? That’s right, there are 147 named CSS colors that you can safely use to style your pages. The full list of named colors, alongside their accompanying HEX and RGB values, are provided below.

How to use Named Colors in CSS

To use a named color in CSS, you simply replace the HEX or RGB value with the named value. For example, if you wanted the text color to be the color green, you could do:

body {
  color: green;
}

Or mix it up with one of the many named green variations like:

body {
  color: darkseagreen;
}

body {
  color: forestgreen;
}

body {
  color: seagreen;
}

Here is a list of all 147 named CSS colors. Note that while there are 147 unique names, some colors like gray and grey act as aliases and represent the same underlying RGB color code.

Aliceblue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
aliceblue	#F0F8FF	rgb(240, 248, 255)

Antiquewhite

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
antiquewhite	#FAEBD7	rgb(250, 235, 215)

Aqua / Cyan

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
aqua	#00FFFF	rgb(0, 255, 255)
cyan	#00FFFF	rgb(0, 255, 255)

Aquamarine

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
aquamarine	#7FFFD4	rgb(127, 255, 212)

Azure

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
azure	#F0FFFF	rgb(240, 255, 255)

Beige

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
beige	#F5F5DC	rgb(245, 245, 220)

Bisque

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
bisque	#FFE4C4	rgb(255, 228, 196)

Black

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
black	#000000	rgb(0, 0, 0)

Blanchedalmond

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
blanchedalmond	#FFEBCD	rgb(255, 235, 205)

Blue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
blue	#0000FF	rgb(0, 0, 255)

Blueviolet

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
blueviolet	#8A2BE2	rgb(138, 43, 226)

Brown

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
brown	#A52A2A	rgb(165, 42, 42)

Burlywood

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
burlywood	#DEB887	rgb(222, 184, 135)

Cadetblue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
cadetblue	#5F9EA0	rgb(95, 158, 160)

Chartreuse

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
chartreuse	#7FFF00	rgb(127, 255, 0)

Chocolate

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
chocolate	#D2691E	rgb(210, 105, 30)

Coral

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
coral	#FF7F50	rgb(255, 127, 80)

Cornflowerblue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
cornflowerblue	#6495ED	rgb(100, 149, 237)

Cornsilk

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
cornsilk	#FFF8DC	rgb(255, 248, 220)

Crimson

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
crimson	#DC143C	rgb(220, 20, 60)

Darkblue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
darkblue	#00008B	rgb(0, 0, 139)

Darkcyan

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
darkcyan	#008B8B	rgb(0, 139, 139)

Darkgoldenrod

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
darkgoldenrod	#B8860B	rgb(184, 134, 11)

Darkgray / Darkgrey

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
darkgray	#A9A9A9	rgb(169, 169, 169)
darkgrey	#A9A9A9	rgb(169, 169, 169)

Darkgreen

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
darkgreen	#006400	rgb(0, 100, 0)

Darkkhaki

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
darkkhaki	#BDB76B	rgb(189, 183, 107)

Darkmagenta

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
darkmagenta	#8B008B	rgb(139, 0, 139)

Darkolivegreen

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
darkolivegreen	#556B2F	rgb(85, 107, 47)

Darkorange

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
darkorange	#FF8C00	rgb(255, 140, 0)

Darkorchid

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
darkorchid	#9932CC	rgb(153, 50, 204)

Darkred

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
darkred	#8B0000	rgb(139, 0, 0)

Darksalmon

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
darksalmon	#E9967A	rgb(233, 150, 122)

Darkseagreen

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
darkseagreen	#8FBC8F	rgb(143, 188, 143)

Darkslateblue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
darkslateblue	#483D8B	rgb(72, 61, 139)

Darkslategray / Darkslategrey

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
darkslategray	#2F4F4F	rgb(47, 79, 79)
darkslategrey	#2F4F4F	rgb(47, 79, 79)

Darkturquoise

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
darkturquoise	#00CED1	rgb(0, 206, 209)

Darkviolet

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
darkviolet	#9400D3	rgb(148, 0, 211)

Deeppink

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
deeppink	#FF1493	rgb(255, 20, 147)

Deepskyblue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
deepskyblue	#00BFFF	rgb(0, 191, 255)

Dimgray / Dimgrey

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
dimgray	#696969	rgb(105, 105, 105)
dimgrey	#696969	rgb(105, 105, 105)

Dodgerblue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
dodgerblue	#1E90FF	rgb(30, 144, 255)

Firebrick

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
firebrick	#B22222	rgb(178, 34, 34)

Floralwhite

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
floralwhite	#FFFAF0	rgb(255, 250, 240)

Forestgreen

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
forestgreen	#228B22	rgb(34, 139, 34)

Fuchsia / Magenta

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
fuchsia	#FF00FF	rgb(255, 0, 255)
magenta	#FF00FF	rgb(255, 0, 255)

Gainsboro

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
gainsboro	#DCDCDC	rgb(220, 220, 220)

Ghostwhite

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
ghostwhite	#F8F8FF	rgb(248, 248, 255)

Gold

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
gold	#FFD700	rgb(255, 215, 0)

Goldenrod

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
goldenrod	#DAA520	rgb(218, 165, 32)

Greenyellow

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
greenyellow	#ADFF2F	rgb(173, 255, 47)

Gray / Grey

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
gray	#808080	rgb(128, 128, 128)
grey	#808080	rgb(128, 128, 128)

Green

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
green	#008000	rgb(0, 128, 0)

Honeydew

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
honeydew	#F0FFF0	rgb(240, 255, 240)

Hotpink

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
hotpink	#FF69B4	rgb(255, 105, 180)

Indianred

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
indianred	#CD5C5C	rgb(205, 92, 92)

Indigo

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
indigo	#4B0082	rgb(75, 0, 130)

Ivory

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
ivory	#FFFFF0	rgb(255, 255, 240)

Khaki

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
khaki	#F0E68C	rgb(240, 230, 140)

Lavender

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
lavender	#E6E6FA	rgb(230, 230, 250)

Lavenderblush

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
lavenderblush	#FFF0F5	rgb(255, 240, 245)

Lawngreen

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
lawngreen	#7CFC00	rgb(124, 252, 0)

Lemonchiffon

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
lemonchiffon	#FFFACD	rgb(255, 250, 205)

Lightblue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
lightblue	#ADD8E6	rgb(173, 216, 230)

Lightcoral

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
lightcoral	#F08080	rgb(240, 128, 128)

Lightcyan

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
lightcyan	#E0FFFF	rgb(224, 255, 255)

Lightgoldenrodyellow

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
lightgoldenrodyellow	#FAFAD2	rgb(250, 250, 210)

Lightgray / Lightgrey

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
lightgray	#D3D3D3	rgb(211, 211, 211)
lightgrey	#D3D3D3	rgb(211, 211, 211)

Lightgreen

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
lightgreen	#90EE90	rgb(144, 238, 144)

Lightpink

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
lightpink	#FFB6C1	rgb(255, 182, 193)

Lightsalmon

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
lightsalmon	#FFA07A	rgb(255, 160, 122)

Lightseagreen

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
lightseagreen	#20B2AA	rgb(32, 178, 170)

Lightskyblue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
lightskyblue	#87CEFA	rgb(135, 206, 250)

Lightslategray / Lightslategrey

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
lightslategray	#778899	rgb(119, 136, 153)
lightslategrey	#778899	rgb(119, 136, 153)

Lightyellow

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
lightyellow	#FFFFE0	rgb(255, 255, 224)

Lime

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
lime	#00FF00	rgb(0, 255, 0)

Limegreen

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
limegreen	#32CD32	rgb(50, 205, 50)

Linen

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
linen	#FAF0E6	rgb(250, 240, 230)

Maroon

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
maroon	#800000	rgb(128, 0, 0)

Mediumaquamarine

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
mediumaquamarine	#66CDAA	rgb(102, 205, 170)

Mediumblue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
mediumblue	#0000CD	rgb(0, 0, 205)

Mediumorchid

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
mediumorchid	#BA55D3	rgb(186, 85, 211)

Mediumpurple

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
mediumpurple	#9370DB	rgb(147, 112, 219)

Mediumseagreen

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
mediumseagreen	#3CB371	rgb(60, 179, 113)

Mediumslateblue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
mediumslateblue	#7B68EE	rgb(123, 104, 238)

Mediumspringgreen

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
mediumspringgreen	#00FA9A	rgb(0, 250, 154)

Mediumturquoise

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
mediumturquoise	#48D1CC	rgb(72, 209, 204)

Mediumvioletred

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
mediumvioletred	#C71585	rgb(199, 21, 133)

Midnightblue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
midnightblue	#191970	rgb(25, 25, 112)

Mintcream

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
mintcream	#F5FFFA	rgb(245, 255, 250)

Mistyrose

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
mistyrose	#FFE4E1	rgb(255, 228, 225)

Moccasin

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
moccasin	#FFE4B5	rgb(255, 228, 181)

Navajowhite

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
navajowhite	#FFDEAD	rgb(255, 222, 173)

Navy

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
navy	#000080	rgb(0, 0, 128)

Oldlace

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
oldlace	#FDF5E6	rgb(253, 245, 230)

Olive

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
olive	#808000	rgb(128, 128, 0)

Olivedrab

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
olivedrab	#6B8E23	rgb(107, 142, 35)

Orange

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
orange	#FFA500	rgb(255, 165, 0)

Orangered

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
orangered	#FF4500	rgb(255, 69, 0)

Orchid

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
orchid	#DA70D6	rgb(218, 112, 214)

Palegoldenrod

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
palegoldenrod	#EEE8AA	rgb(238, 232, 170)

Palegreen

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
palegreen	#98FB98	rgb(152, 251, 152)

Paleturquoise

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
paleturquoise	#AFEEEE	rgb(175, 238, 238)

Palevioletred

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
palevioletred	#DB7093	rgb(219, 112, 147)

Papayawhip

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
papayawhip	#FFEFD5	rgb(255, 239, 213)

Peachpuff

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
peachpuff	#FFDAB9	rgb(255, 218, 185)

Peru

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
peru	#CD853F	rgb(205, 133, 63)

Pink

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
pink	#FFC0CB	rgb(255, 192, 203)

Plum

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
plum	#DDA0DD	rgb(221, 160, 221)

Powderblue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
powderblue	#B0E0E6	rgb(176, 224, 230)

Purple

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
purple	#800080	rgb(128, 0, 128)

Rebeccapurple

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
rebeccapurple	#663399	rgb(102, 51, 153)

Red

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
red	#FF0000	rgb(255, 0, 0)

Rosybrown

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
rosybrown	#BC8F8F	rgb(188, 143, 143)

Royalblue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
royalblue	#4169E1	rgb(65, 105, 225)

Saddlebrown

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
saddlebrown	#8B4513	rgb(139, 69, 19)

Salmon

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
salmon	#FA8072	rgb(250, 128, 114)

Sandybrown

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
sandybrown	#F4A460	rgb(244, 164, 96)

Seagreen

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
seagreen	#2E8B57	rgb(46, 139, 87)

Seashell

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
seashell	#FFF5EE	rgb(255, 245, 238)

Sienna

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
sienna	#A0522D	rgb(160, 82, 45)

Silver

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
silver	#C0C0C0	rgb(192, 192, 192)

Skyblue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
skyblue	#87CEEB	rgb(135, 206, 235)

Slateblue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
slateblue	#6A5ACD	rgb(106, 90, 205)

Slategray / Slategrey

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
slategray	#708090	rgb(112, 128, 144)
slategrey	#708090	rgb(112, 128, 144)

Snow

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
snow	#FFFAFA	rgb(255, 250, 250)

Springgreen

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
springgreen	#00FF7F	rgb(0, 255, 127)

Steelblue

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
steelblue	#4682B4	rgb(70, 130, 180)

Tan

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
tan	#D2B48C	rgb(210, 180, 140)

Teal

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
teal	#008080	rgb(0, 128, 128)

Thistle

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
thistle	#D8BFD8	rgb(216, 191, 216)

Tomato

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
tomato	#FF6347	rgb(255, 99, 71)

Turquoise

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
turquoise	#40E0D0	rgb(64, 224, 208)

Violet

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
violet	#EE82EE	rgb(238, 130, 238)

Wheat

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
wheat	#F5DEB3	rgb(245, 222, 179)

White

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
white	#FFFFFF	rgb(255, 255, 255)

Whitesmoke

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
whitesmoke	#F5F5F5	rgb(245, 245, 245)

Yellow

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
yellow	#FFFF00	rgb(255, 255, 0)

Yellowgreen

Keyword	HEX	RGB	Output
yellowgreen	#9ACD32	rgb(154, 205, 50)

Summary

There we have it, all 147 named CSS colors in on one handy page. Remember that for each of the named colors you can use its HEX or RGB equivalent to get the same exact color. What you decide to use is totally up to you.

Personally, I prefer to use HEX codes across my entire app to keep everything consistent, but if you’re not a designer and just want a good ballpark color scheme, using many of the named CSS colors is a great alternative.

Happy hacking.