# Symbol names

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/symbol-names/40188>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 7, 2000, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/symbol-names/40188 "2000-11-07T22:41:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![stuporous\_intnendent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@stuporous\_intnendent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuporous_intnendent)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2000, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/symbol-names/40188/1 "2000-11-07T22:41:26Z")

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What is the name of the ‘@’ symbol? For example:

# octothorpe

^ caret  
& ampersand

- asterisk

But what’s that pesky ‘@’ thing called? Can anyone enlighten me? Got names for any other symbols?

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**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2000, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/symbol-names/40188/2 "2000-11-07T22:49:51Z")

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“at”

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**Author:** ![Meephead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b782af/32.png) [@Meephead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meephead)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2000, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/symbol-names/40188/3 "2000-11-07T23:04:33Z")

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Ia m with Gunslinger on that. I have always heard it referred to as “The at sign”

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2000, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/symbol-names/40188/4 "2000-11-07T23:06:40Z")

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“At” and “business at” are the two terms I’ve seen used most often. We have had more than one thread on this, but doing a search for @ gives an error and searching for “at” brings back 90% of the posts on the board, so it’s a bit hard to find.

I have never seen a special name applied to it (such as the never-used “octothorp” for the American “pound” or British “hash” symbol).

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**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2000, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/symbol-names/40188/5 "2000-11-07T23:27:10Z")

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I’m another one who only knows it as the “at” sign, but I am now really pleased because I had never met the term “octothorpe” before. So, hello, stuporous intnendent, and thank you for inadvertently fighting my ignorance. ( I don’t enjoy spelling your name though. 🙂

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2000, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/symbol-names/40188/6 "2000-11-07T23:28:20Z")

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It is called the atmark (one word) or “at symbol” or, more recently, ampersat. A previous thread: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=32917](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=32917)