Color me intrigued

Before the pantone: 10 color shades with old names

Colors come in a multitude of shades, most of them with a very specific name. Some of these names are a reference to a common object of that color —for example, ruby, maize, or lavender— while others, much more modern, are just a product of marketing, popular use, or just imagination —such as razzle dazzle rose, school bus yellow, or French blue. But some specific shade names have a story that goes back centuries, across different cultures and traditions. Here are ten color shades and the history behind their name.

This vibrant red-orange shade takes its name from an ancient pigment, highly toxic, made from cinnabar, a form of mercury. Its name comes from the Old French vermeillon, derived from vermiculus, a diminutive of the Latin vermis (‘worm’). What did this toxic pigment have to do with worms? An insect called Kermes vermilio was used to make a natural dye in a similar shade, but much more common than cinnabar, so its name became popular and was used for all similar red-orange shades.

Described as a shade that goes from light-brown to brownish-orange, tawny is associated with tanned leather, not only in color but in the origin of its name. Celts used tannum or crushed oak bark to treat animal hides and produce leather. Though Latin, this word made its way into Old French as tauné, ‘tan leather colored’, and then into English.

With a name that alludes to the sea, the origin of this deep blue shade seems to be quite straightforward, except it isn’t. Ultramarine blue takes its name from the Ultramarine pigment, made from grinding lapis lazuli stone. This pigment, as costly as gold, was imported from Afghanistan by Venetian merchants, who called it (azzurro) oltramarino or ‘(blue) from beyond the sea’.

Now described as cream or grayish yellow, ecru was initially used to describe the color of unbleached linen. Before bleached into a creamy white color, linen would retain the color of the dried flax fibers used to weave it. The French word écru, meaning ‘raw’ or ‘unbleached’, initially served as a mere descriptor of the fabric's state, but was eventually associated with its color.

To no one’s surprise, the name of this blueish-green shade comes from French. But although its French equivalent, vert-de-gris, means ‘green of gray’, there is no gray in its origin. There are two possible origins for this name: the first one is vert d'aigre or ‘green made with vinegar’, because a pigment of this name was made using copper and vinegar. The second one ties this shade to art objects imported from Greece, which gave way to the name vert-de-Grèce, ‘green of Greece’.

Indigo is used to describe a variety of blue shades, from the dark blue in the rainbow to various blue hues that can be achieved using indigo dye. Originally, the term indigo, from the Latin indicum (‘Indian’), was specifically used for a pigment made from the Indigofera plant and exported from India. Later on, the term became synonymous with the various blue shades resulting from that dye.

Nowadays, we automatically associate the color sepia with old photographs, but did you know its name and hue come from a fish? In ancient Greece and Rome, the ink of the sepia cuttlefish was used for writing, and it remained a commonly used drawing ink up until the early 19th century, when it started being used for watercolors and oil paints.

This one is tricky. As a color, auburn is a shade of brown, though it is often used to describe a specific type of red hair that has a mixture of red and brown tones. The term auburn, however, has nothing to do with red nor with brown. It comes from the French alborne, derived from the Latin alburnus or ‘off-white’, and it was used for blond people. How did it come to mean reddish-brown? Auburn and brown sounded similar.

Technically, there is no color named purpura in modern English, but there used to be. Made from crushed sea snails, the purpura dye was extremely expensive, and it became associated with royalty. Originally called porphura by the Greeks, the word was latinized as purpura, and was later adopted into English as purpul, from where we get the modern ‘purple’. So, while purpura is the original purple, it is nowadays called Tyrian or royal purple to avoid confusion.

This reddish-orange shade gets its name from the jasper, a semiprecious quartz known for having a pattern. The name ‘jasper’ comes from the Greek iaspis, meaning ‘spotted or speckled stone’. While there are multiple colors of jasper stones, the most common one is red, so the name of the stone became synonymous with that shade.

Which is your favorite name?

From Elvis to Ariel: 12 baby names that were popularized by celebrities

Image: Kelly Sikkema

Ever notice how some baby names seem to suddenly pop up everywhere? Celebrities, hit songs, and famous artists have a way of turning not-so-common names into household favorites. Whether it’s a chart-topping single or a star-studded baby announcement, pop culture leaves its mark on what we name our kids. Take a look at 12 of these names that got a boost from the spotlight.

Image: Kelly Sikkema

The King of Rock 'n' Roll himself, Elvis Presley, has been the inspiration for the naming of countless babies. His appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," one of America's most popular television programs of the mid-20th century, spawned an uptick in babies named in his honor. The same goes for his untimely passing in the 1970s.

Image: Enis Yavuz

The name Sienna has gained popularity in baby name registrations since 2005. That year marked a turning point after Sienna Miller's breakout roles in Alfie and Layer Cake.

Her rising fame helped push the name into the spotlight, leading to a noticeable increase in its use among new parents.

Image: jordis small

When Titanic hit theaters in 1997, it became a cultural phenomenon. It was the highest-grossing film ever at the time, and held that record for many years. Titanic catapulted Leonardo DiCaprio to international fame, cementing his status as a heartthrob and launching a successful acting career.

The movie’s impact went beyond the box office: it even influenced baby names, generating a huge spike in popularity for the name Leonardo.

Image: Susana Coutinho

The Disney brand has had an unquestionable influence on baby name trends. No other company has shaped naming choices quite like Walt Disney Entertainment.

Whoever had a child in the past decade has likely encountered the lasting impact of Frozen. The film sparked everything from Halloween costumes and merchandise to endless rounds of karaoke and, of course, a surge in babies named after Elsa, the Ice Queen herself.

Image: Helena Lopes

There's arguably no other band that's had a cultural impact as widespread and as lasting as The Beatles. The surge of Beatlemania during the 60s guaranteed the band's worldwide popularity, and many a baby was named after Liverpool's best and their songs.

The Lennon-McCartney-penned song, "Hey Jude," helped generate a big spike in popularity for the name Jude around the time when the song was released.

Image: Caroline Hernandez

Zendaya first gained attention in 2010 with her role on the Disney show Shake It Up, and her star has only risen ever since. She’s taken on major roles in projects like Euphoria, the Dune franchise, and Challengers, becoming one of the most recognizable household names in entertainment.

Before her rise to fame, the name "Zendaya" was so rare it didn’t even appear in the Social Security dataset. But with each new hit, the name has steadily grown in popularity, inspired by the actress’s continued success.

Image: Christopher Luther

The name "Elon" has seen a notable rise in popularity since 2013. That year marked a turning point when Tesla’s stock began skyrocketing in value.

As the company (and its CEO, Elon Musk) continued to make headlines, the name gained more attention, leading to a steady increase in its use.

Image: Jen Theodore

They were certainly not as popular as the Beatles, and some might consider them a one-hit wonder, but the American rock band The Knack also left their mark on the lists of popular baby names.
The song that spearheaded the band's rise to fame, "My Sharona" from 1980, generated a spike in the register of births of baby girls named, you guessed it, Sharona.

Image: Vitaliy Zalishchyker

Forrest Gump (1994) had such a noticeable cultural impact that it sparked a one-year surge in babies named Forrest. The film’s widespread popularity left its mark on parents, many of whom were inspired by the character’s virtues of honesty and kindness.

Some parents likely chose the name to reflect the same goodness embodied by Tom Hanks' iconic role, while others simply couldn’t shake the name out of their minds after seeing the film.

Image: Sean Foster

The 2005 song "Hey There Delilah" is a ballad that says the name Delilah a large number of times. It's the signature song of the American pop band Plain White T's.

This song was very popular in its day, and it left a significant cultural fingerprint, producing a massive spike in kids named Delilah.

Image: Matthew Osborn

Trinity brought something fresh to the action movie genre: a strong, independent female character in a space often dominated by men. Her role in The Matrix broke new ground, offering audiences a different kind of action hero.

The film’s impact extended beyond the screen, influencing baby names. In 1998, the year before The Matrix was released, 557 babies were given the name Trinity. By 2004, that number had jumped to 5,729.

Image: Christian Bowen

Another Disney movie_,_ The Little Mermaid, tells the story of a mermaid girl who sacrifices her voice for legs. Loosely based on a darker version of the story by Hans Christian Andersen, the film skyrocketed the name Ariel into a huge hit. Over 6,000 babies were given the name shortly after the movie's debut.