Color Name Lookup-- Identify Colors

Find the closest CSS color name for any HEX color. Identify and name colors instantly.

Color to Identify

Enter a HEX color and click Lookup to find its closest CSS color name

Why Use Our Color Name Lookup?

Instant Lookup

Find the closest CSS color name for any HEX color.

Visual Compare

Side-by-side comparison of input and closest match.

Distance Score

See how close or far your color is from the match.

One-Click Copy

Copy the color name or HEX value instantly.

100% Private

All processing in your browser. No server requests.

Free Forever

No signup, no limits. Free color name identification.

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Complete Color Name Lookup Guide

Color name matching works by computing the distance between your input color and each of the 148 CSS named colors in RGB color space. We use Euclidean distance, which calculates the straight-line distance in 3D RGB space.

The formula is: distance = sqrt((r1-r2)^2 + (g1-g2)^2 + (b1-b2)^2). A distance of 0 means an exact match. The theoretical maximum distance (from black #000000 to white #ffffff) is approximately 441.67.

The algorithm compares your input against every CSS named color and returns the one with the smallest distance. If an exact match is found (distance = 0), the search terminates immediately for efficiency.

Code Readability

Replace cryptic HEX codes with readable CSS color names when an exact or close match exists.

Color Communication

Give colors human-readable names for design discussions, documentation, and client presentations.

Design Token Naming

Use CSS color names as inspiration for naming design tokens in your design system or brand guidelines.

Color Exploration

Discover which CSS named color is closest to your brand colors, samples from images, or custom palette entries.

Color distance quantifies how different two colors appear. In RGB space, Euclidean distance treats R, G, and B as three-dimensional coordinates and calculates the straight-line distance between them.

While RGB distance is computationally simple, it does not perfectly match human color perception. Humans are more sensitive to changes in green than red, and more sensitive to red than blue. For this reason, perceptually uniform color spaces like CIELAB or CIEDE2000 are used in professional color science.

For the purpose of finding the closest CSS color name, RGB Euclidean distance works well enough because the 148 CSS colors are spaced far enough apart that the nearest neighbor is usually the perceptually correct match.

How does color name lookup work?

The tool compares your input color against all 148 CSS named colors using Euclidean distance in RGB color space. The color with the smallest distance is returned as the closest match.

What is the distance score?

The distance score measures how different your input color is from the closest named color. A distance of 0 means an exact match. Higher values mean greater difference. The maximum possible distance is about 441 (black to white).

How many colors can it identify?

The tool matches against all 148 CSS named colors defined in the CSS Color Level 4 specification. It will always find the closest match, even if the input is not an exact named color.

Can I look up any HEX color?

Yes, enter any valid HEX color code (#RGB or #RRGGBB format) and the tool will find the closest CSS color name.

What if my color is an exact match?

If your input exactly matches a CSS named color, the distance will be 0 and the tool will display that color name. For example, #6495ed is exactly 'cornflowerblue'.

Is the matching perceptually accurate?

The tool uses Euclidean distance in RGB space, which is computationally efficient but not perfectly perceptually uniform. For most practical purposes, the results are accurate and useful.

Can I use the found color name in CSS?

Yes, if the distance is 0 (exact match) or close to 0, you can use the CSS color name directly. For non-exact matches, the tool shows you the closest named alternative.

Is my color data processed locally?

Yes, all matching is done in your browser by comparing RGB values against a built-in lookup table. No data leaves your device.

What color spaces are supported for input?

Currently the tool accepts HEX input (#RGB or #RRGGBB). For RGB or HSL input, use our converter tools first to get a HEX value.

How is this different from the CSS Color Converter?

The CSS Color Converter converts known color names to HEX/RGB/HSL. The Color Name Lookup does the reverse -- it takes any HEX color and finds the closest CSS color name.

Color Name Lookup Tool

Why Use Our Color Name Lookup?

Other Color Tools

Complete Color Name Lookup Guide