# why aren't elements named after their discoverers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2001, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-elements-named-after-their-discoverers/76357 "2001-08-15T08:21:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![curwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@curwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curwin)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-elements-named-after-their-discoverers/76357/1 "2001-08-15T08:21:06Z")
Another almanac revelation: There is a table of the elements, the date of their discovery, and who discovered them. While some of the elements have strange names (that would indicate that they were named after someone) none of the names match up with the names of the discoverer(s). While it might be noble of the scientists to name the new element after someone else, I don’t think scientists in general are known for extraordinary humility, and plenty of other discoveries bear the name of the finder. Why not elements? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-elements-named-after-their-discoverers/76357/2 "2001-08-15T09:37:56Z")
The ethics of chemical naming that have usually been subscribed to by scientists (and, I assume, the authority that controls this, IUPAC) say that it is wrong to name an element after a living person. (Presumably this is to prevent an element being named after a brilliant physicist who later turns into Dr. Mengele.) Names such as nobelium, fermium, einsteinium, seaborgium, mendelevium, etc., were all given after the person died. One commonly used alternative, though, is to name the element after the homeland or laboratory of the discoverer or where it was discovered. Americium, francium, gallium (see below), germanium, californium, scandium, polonium (named by Marie Curie after her native country), yttrium (and its three sisters, erbium, terbium, and ytterbium - all named after the same village in Sweden), lutetium (Paris, formerly known as Lutetia), lawrencium (the Lawrence labs in California), etc… Finally, I should mention the strange case of gallium, which was discovered by the French chemist Lecoq de Boisbaudran. Ostensibly this is named after his native France, which was known to the Romans as Gallia. However, “le coq” (“the rooster”) in Latin is “gallus”, so there is a suspicion that de Boisbaudran successfully defied custom by naming the element not just after a living person but after himself. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-elements-named-after-their-discoverers/76357/3 "2001-08-15T09:45:32Z")
Seeing as how Sir Humphrey Davy discovered several elements, that would provide a naming challenge – “Davyium,” “Humphreyum,” … er … “TheOtherDavyium,” “Humphreyol,” and, uh, “Humphreygen.” Given the bitching that the U.S. and Russia indulged in over [element 104](http://www.encyclopedia.com/articlesnew/11262.html), a standardized naming system is probably the smart move. ---
**Author:** ![Mystery\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f14d63/32.png) [@Mystery\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mystery_Dog)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-elements-named-after-their-discoverers/76357/4 "2001-08-15T11:58:52Z")
A quibble with **matt\_mcl** ’s post: Seaborgium was given its name while Dr. Glenn Seaborg was still alive. See [http://seaborg.nmu.edu/gts/seaborgium.html](http://seaborg.nmu.edu/gts/seaborgium.html) ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-elements-named-after-their-discoverers/76357/5 "2001-08-15T12:24:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by matt\_mcl \* > One commonly used alternative, though, is to name the element after the homeland or laboratory of the discoverer or where it was discovered. Americium, francium, gallium (see below), germanium, californium, scandium, polonium (named by Marie Curie after her native country), yttrium (and its three sisters, erbium, terbium, and ytterbium - all named after the same village in Sweden), lutetium (Paris, formerly known as Lutetia), lawrencium (the Lawrence labs in California), etc… You forgot Berkelyum! (Oddly enough, not a component of LSD.) ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-elements-named-after-their-discoverers/76357/6 "2001-08-15T14:15:17Z")
**matt\_mcl** , I’m certain that you didn’t know it, but I _love_ element trivia. 🙂 I love you. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-elements-named-after-their-discoverers/76357/7 "2001-08-15T14:47:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by curwin \* > \*\*While it might be noble of the scientists to name the new element after someone else, I don’t think scientists in general are known for extraordinary humility, and plenty of other discoveries bear the name of the finder. Why not elements? \*\* With regard to naming newly discovered species of plants or animals, although it is not prohibited by the rules of nomenclature, it is considered very bad form for a describer to name a species after him/herself. However, species are commonly named after their discoverer, since the person who publishes the official description of a species is usually a taxonomic specialist rather than the collector. ---
**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:** [August 15, 2001, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-elements-named-after-their-discoverers/76357/8 "2001-08-15T16:05:58Z")
For those who are interested, I put up a page on the topic of the etymology of chemical elements named after people and places a few weeks ago. [Chemical elements from proper nouns](http://www.geocities.com/maineiac_bibliophage/elements2.html) Follow the link at the bottom of that page for more science etymology. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-elements-named-after-their-discoverers/76357/9 "2001-08-15T16:10:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bibliophage \* > \*\*For those who are interested, I put up a page on the topic of the etymology of chemical elements named after people and places a few weeks ago. [Chemical elements from proper nouns](http://www.geocities.com/maineiac_bibliophage/elements2.html) Follow the link at the bottom of that page for more science etymology. \*\* Just out of curiosity, are you sure about the spelling of the Greek word for moon? I don’t recall ever seeing a noun that ended in epsilon. If I remember, I’ll check my Greek-English dictionary when I get home tonight. ---
**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:** [August 15, 2001, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-elements-named-after-their-discoverers/76357/10 "2001-08-15T16:18:51Z")
You’re right, two of the epsilons are supposed to be etas. I’ll change it and check the other. Thanks for the correction. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-elements-named-after-their-discoverers/76357/11 "2001-08-15T16:50:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bibliophage \* > \*\*You’re right, two of the epsilons are supposed to be etas. I’ll change it and check the other. Thanks for the correction. \*\* No problem. I’m always looking for a chance to use my (limited) knowledge of ancient Greek. 😉