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The names of the elements often have interesting historical associations – and sometimes obscure ones. Their origin is given briefly here, as well as the date of their discovery. You might give some thought as to why elements were discovered when they were. The date given is for the isolation of the element; in a number of cases, boron for example, compounds of the element were recognised long before the element itself could be isolated.
| Name | Z | A | Origin of name | Date & discoverer(s) | |
| Actinium | Ac | 89 | 227 | Gk aktinos, beam or ray | 1899 Dobierne |
| Aluminium | Al | 13 | 27 | L alum. Alum is potassium aluminium sulphate. | 1886 Hall and Heroult. |
| Americium | Am | 95 | 243 | The Americas. Discovered at the University of Chicago. | 1944 Seaborg et al. |
| Antimony | Sb | 51 | 122 | Gk anti + monos: a metal not found alone | c 1600 |
| Argon | Ar | 18 | 40 | Gk argos, inactive. | 1894 Rayleigh and Ramsay |
| Arsenic | As | 33 | 75 | Gk arsenikon, yellow orpiment; Arab. Az-zernikh, the orpiment from zerni-zar, gold. The sulphide is a yellow pigment. | 1250 Albertus Magnus |
| Astatine | At | 85 | 210 | Gk astatos, unstable. | 1940 Corson, MacKenzie and Segre. |
| Barium | Ba | 56 | 137 | Gk barys, heavy. Refers to the density of its ore. | 1808 Davy |
| Berkelium | Bk | 97 | 247 | Berkeley, California, where it was discovered discovered | 1949 Thompson, Ghiorso and Seaborg. |
| Beryllium | Be | 4 | 9 | Gk beryllos, beryl; its ore. | 1798 Vauquelin. |
| Bismuth | Bi | 83 | 209 | Ger Weisse masse, white mass; refers to its ore. | 1753 Geoffroy the Younger. |
| Bohrium | Bh | 107 | 264 | Niels Bohr, originator of the shell model of electronic structure | |
| Boron | B | 5 | 11 | Arab. buraq, Pers. burah: borax | 1808 Davy and Thenard |
| Bromine | Br | 35 | 80 | Gk bromos, a stench | 1826 Balard |
| Cadmium | Cd | 48 | 112 | Gk kadmeia, zinc carbonate, from impure forms of which Cd was extracted | 1817 Stromeyer |
| Caesium | Cs | 55 | 133 | L caesius, sky-blue; refers to its spectrum | 1860 Bunsen and Kirchhoff |
| Calcium | Ca | 20 | 40 | L. calx, lime. | 1808 Davy |
| Californium | Cf | 98 | 251 | U. of California, where it was discovered. discovered | 1950 Thomson, Ghiorso, Street and Seaborg. |
| Carbon | C | 6 | 12 | L carbo, charcoal. | Prehistoric. |
| Cerium | Ce | 58 | 140 | Ceres; asteroid of this name discovered in 1801. | 1803 Klaproth, and Berzelius & Hisinger. |
| Chlorine | Cl | 17 | 35.5 | Gk chloros, greenish-yellow. | 1774 Scheele. |
| Chromium | Cr | 24 | 52 | Gk chroma, colour. Its compounds are brightly coloured | 1797 Vauquelin |
| Cobalt | Co | 27 | 59 | Ger kobald, goblin; Gk cobalos, mine. | 1735 Brandt. |
| Copper | Cu | 29 | 63.5 | L cuprum, Cyprus. | Prehistonc |
| Curium | Cm | 96 | 247 | Pierre and Marie Curie. | 1944 Seaborg, James and Ghiorso. |
| Dubnium | Db | 105 | Dubna, where there is an important research institution | ||
| Dysprosium | Dy | 66 | 163 | Gk dysprositos, hard to get a | 1886 Lecoq de Boisbaudran. |
| Einsteinium | Es | 99 | 254 | Albert Einstein | 1952 Ghiorso et al |
| Erbium | Er | 68 | 167 | Ytterby, town in Sweden | 1934 Klemm and Bommer |
| Europium | Eu | 63 | 152 | Europe | 1901 Demarcay. |
| Fermium | Fm | 100 | 253 | Enrico Fermi. | 1952 Ghiorso et al. |
| Fluorine | F | 9 | 19 | L fluere, flow. Calcium fluoride is used in metallurgy as a flux. | 1886 Moisson |
| Francium | Fr | 87 | 223 | France | 1939 Perey |
| Gadolinium | Gd | 64 | 157 | Gadolinite, named for Gadolin, a Finnish chemist. | 1886 Lecoq de Boisbaudran. |
| Gallium | Ga | 31 | 70 | L gallus, a cock, Lecoq | 1875 Lecoq de Boisbaudran |
| Germanium | Ge | 32 | 72.6 | L Germania, Germany | 1886 Winkler |
| Gold | Au | 79 | 197 | Anglo-Saxon gold. | Prehistoric. |
| Hafnium | Hf | 72 | 178.5 | L Hafinia, Copenhagen | 1923 Cofster and de Hevesy |
| Hahnium | Ha | 105 | Otto Hahn | 1970 Ghiorso et al | |
| Hassium | Hs | 108 | 269 | ||
| Helium | He | 2 | 4 | Gk helios, the Sun, where He was first found. | 1868 Janssen |
| Holmium | Ho | 67 | 165 | L Holmia, Stockholm; Cleve's native city. | 1880 Cleve |
| Hydrogen | H | 1 | 1 | Gk hvdro + genes, water forming | 1766 Cavendish |
| Indium | In | 49 | 115 | From the brilliant indigo line in its spectrum. | ca 1920 Reich and Richter. |
| Iodine | I | 53 | 127 | Gk iodes, like a violet; refers to the colour of its vapour. | 1811 Courtois |
| Iridium | Ir | 77 | 192 | L iris, rainbow | 1803 Tennant |
| Iron | Fe | 26 | 55.8 | Anglo-Saxon iron | Prehistoric |
| Krypton | Kr | 36 | 83.8 | Gk kryptos, hidden | 1898 Ramsay and Travers |
| Kurchatovium or Rutherfordium |
Ku Rf |
104 | 139 | I V Kurchatov Ernest Rutherford |
1964 USSR? 1969 Ghiorso |
| Lanthanum | La | 57 | 257 | Gk lanthanein, to lie hidden | 1923 |
| Lawrencium | Lr | 103 | 207 | E 0 Lawrence, inventor of the cyclotron | 1961 Ghiorso et al |
| Lead | Pb | 82 | 207 | Anglo-Saxon lead | Prehistoric |
| Lithium | Li | 3 | 7 | Gk lithos, stone | 1817 Arfvedson. |
| Lutetium | Lu | 71 | 175 | Lutetia, Paris | 1907 Urbain |
| Magnesium | Mg | 12 | 24 | Magnesia, district in Thessaly | 1808 Davy |
| Manganese | Mn | 25 | 55 | L magnes, magnet | 1774 Gahn |
| Meitnerium | Mt | 109 | 268 | Lise Meitner, physicist | |
| Mendelevium | Md | 101 | 256 | D I Mendeleev | 1955 Ghiorso |
| Mercury | Hg | 80 | 200.6 | Mercury; pres. because the metal moves quickly Hg Hvdrargyrum, silver water. | Before 1500 BC |
| Molybdenum | Mo | 42 | 96 | Gk molybdos, lead, with which it was originally confused. | 1782 Hjelm |
| Neodymium | Nd | 60 | 144 | Gk neos + didymos, new twin | 1925 |
| Neon | Ne | 10 | 20 | Gk neos, new | 1898 Ramsay and Travers. |
| Neptunium | Np | 93 | 237 | Planet Neptune | 1940 McMillan and Abelson |
| Nickel | Ni | 28 | 59 | Ger kupfernickel, Old Nick's copper, the ore where it was first found. | 1751 Cronstedt |
| Niobium | Nb | 41 | 93 | Niobe, daughter of Tantalus | 1801 Hatchett. |
| Nitrogen | N | 7 | 14 | Gk nitron + genes, soda forming | 1772 Daniel Rutherford |
| Nobelium | No | 102 | 254 | Alfred Nobel | 1958 Ghiorso et al. |
| Osmium | Os | 76 | 190 | Gk osme, a smell | 1803 Tennant |
| Oxygen | 0 | 8 | 16 | Gk oxys, sharp, + genes. ‘Acid-forming’ | 1774 Priestley |
| Palladium | Pd | 46 | 106.4 | Asteroid Pallas, discovered about the same time. | 1803 Wollaston |
| Phosphorus | P | 15 | 31 | Gk phosphoros, light-bearing. | 1669 Brand |
| Platinum | Pt | 78 | 195 | Sp platina, silver. | 1735 Ulloa |
| Plutonium | Pu | 94 | 242 | Planet Pluto | 1940 Seaborg et al |
| Polonium | Po | 84 | 210 | Poland, native country of Mme Curie | 1898 M Curie |
| Potassium | K | 19 | 39 | Engl potash, L kalium, Arab qali, alkali | l807 Davy |
| Praseodymium | Pr | 59 | 141 | Prasios + didymos, green twin: refers to spectral lines | 1879 Lecoq de Boisbaudran |
| Promethium | Pm | 61 | 147 | Prometheus. Pm appears not to exist naturally on the Earth | 1942-45 Wu, Segre, Bethe et al. |
| Protactinium | Pa | 91 | 231 | Gk protos, first | 1913 Fajans and Gohring |
| Radium | Ra | 88 | 226 | L radius, ray | 1898 P & M Curie |
| Radon | Rh | 86 | 222 | From radium | 1900 Dorn |
| Rhenium | Re | 75 | 186 | L rhenus, Rhine | 1925 Noddack, Tacke & Berg. |
| Rhodium | Rh | 45 | 103 | Gk rhodon, rose | 1803 Wollaston |
| Rubidium | Rb | 37 | 85.5 | L rubidus, deepest red, from its spectrum | 1861 Bunsen & Kirchhoff. |
| Ruthenium | Ru | 44 | 101 | L Ruthenia, Russia; found in Urals | 1844 Klaus |
| Rutherfordium | Rf | 104 | Sir Ernest Rutherford, founder of nuclear physics | ||
| Samarium | Sm | 62 | 150.4 | From Samarskite, a mineral. | 1879 Lecoq de Boisbaudran |
| Scandium | Sc | 21 | 45 | L Scandia, Scandinavia, where found | 1878 Nilson |
| Seaborgium | Sg | 106 | 266 | Glenn T Seaborg, nuclear chemist | |
| Selenium | Se | 34 | 79 | Gk Selene, moon; found with Tellurium, q.v. | 1817 Berzelius |
| Silicon | Si | 14 | 28 | L silex, flint | 1824 Berzelius |
| Silver | Ag | 47 | 107.9 | Anglo-Saxon Seolfor siolfor | Prehistoric |
| Sodium | Na | 11 | 23 | Engl soda | 1807 Davy |
| Strontium | Sr | 38 | 87.6 | Strontian, a Scottish town | 1808 Davy |
| Sulphur | S | 16 | 32 | L sulphurium, Sanskr sulvere | Prehistoric |
| Tantalum | Ta | 73 | 181 | Gk Tantalos, father of Niobe; see Nb | 1802 Ekeberg |
| Technetium | Tc | 43 | 99 | Gk technetos, artificial. Not found on Earth (c.f. Pm) | 1937 Perrier & Segre |
| Tellurium | Te | 52 | 127.6 | L tellus, Earth. | 1782 Muller von Reichenstein |
| Terbium | Tb | 65 | 159 | Ytterby, village in Sweden | 1843 Mosander |
| Thallium | Tl | 81 | 204 | Gk thallos, a green shoot; from its spectrum. | 1861 Crookes |
| Thorium | Th | 90 | 232 | Thor. | |
| Thulium | Tm | 69 | 169 | Thule, Scandinavia | 1879 Cleve |
| Tin | Sn | 50 | 119 | Anglo-Saxon tin | Prehistoric |
| Titanium | Ti | 22 | 48 | Gk Titans, first sons of the earth | 1791 Gregor |
| Tungsten | W | 74 | 184 | Swed. Tung sten, heavy stone | 1783 de Elhuyar bros |
| Uranium | U | 92 | 238 | Planet Uranus | 1841 Peligot |
| Vanadium | V | 23 | 51 | Scandinavian goddess Vanadis | 1801 del Rio |
| Xenon | Xe | 54 | 131 | Gk xenon, stranger | 1898 Ramsay & Travers |
| Ytterbium | Yb | 70 | 173 | Ytterby, village in Sweden | 1937 Klemm and Bonner |
| Yttrium | Y | 39 | 89 | Ytterby, village in Sweden | 1794 Gadolin |
| Zinc | Zn | 30 | 65 | Ger zink | 13th cent, India |
| Zirconium | Zr | 40 | 91 | Pers. zar-gun, gold-like | 1824 Berzelius |
The names of the elements have been set to music by Tom Lehrer - the tune is Gilbert & Sullivan's 'I am the very model of a modern major-general' from the Pirates of Penzance. It does not include the elements above Lawrencium - but of course Lehrer made provision for new discoveries in the song. The words can be found on another page.
The best site I have come across so far concerning the Periodic Table is Mark Winter's superb web elements. It took him more than six years to write it.