Color Name Finder

Color Name Finder is a web tool that finds the exact name of a color when you enter a HEX code and recommends similar colors. It’s a useful tool for everyone who works with colors, including designers, developers, and marketers, providing an extensive database that includes 140 CSS standard colors and extended colors from Material Design and Flat Design.

Key Features

1. HEX Code Input and Color Search

Enter a HEX code to find the exact name of that color. Supports both 3-digit and 6-digit HEX codes, with or without the # symbol.

• Real-time input validation with error messages
• Automatic 3-digit HEX expansion (e.g., FFF → FFFFFF)
• Quick search with Enter key

2. Color Name Search

Search for color names in English or your language. Real-time autocomplete suggestions help you quickly find the color you’re looking for.

• English/multilingual search support (e.g., Tomato)
• Up to 10 autocomplete suggestions
• Color preview displayed with HEX code

3. Detailed Color Information

Provides various format information for the selected color.

• RGB values (e.g., rgb(52, 152, 219))
• HSL values (e.g., hsl(204, 70%, 53%))
• HEX code
• Hue – 0° to 360° color wheel angle
• Saturation – Color purity percentage
• Lightness – Brightness percentage

4. Similar Color Recommendations

Uses a weighted Euclidean distance algorithm to display the 10 most similar colors to your input, sorted by distance. Each color card shows the color name, HEX code, and similarity distance value.

• Distance formula: √[2×(R diff)² + 4×(G diff)² + 3×(B diff)²]
• Weighted to reflect human color perception characteristics
• Click to instantly switch to that color

5. Color Picker

Provides an intuitive color picker for selecting colors with just a mouse click. The selected color is automatically reflected in the HEX input field and immediately searched.

6. Copy Functions

Copy color values to clipboard in your preferred format.

• Copy HEX format
• Copy RGB format
• Copy HSL format
• Copy color name
• Toast notification on successful copy

7. Recent Search History

Automatically saves and displays your last 12 searched colors. History persists even after closing the browser, and you can quickly re-search by clicking.

• Automatically saved in browser LocalStorage
• Records up to 12 colors
• Duplicate removal (most recent search appears first)
• Clear all function

8. Random Color Generation

Generate random colors for inspiration or testing purposes. Can also be executed with the Ctrl+Shift+R shortcut.

9. Preview Readability Optimization

Text color in the color preview box automatically adjusts based on background lightness. Lightness above 50% displays dark text, below 50% displays light text, ensuring consistently high readability.

Use Cases

Web Designers

• Convert design mockup color codes to precise color names
• Communicate clearly with clients using color names
• Expand color palettes with similar color recommendations

Frontend Developers

• Reference for CSS variable naming
• Quick conversion between HEX, RGB, and HSL formats
• Organize color information when building design systems

Marketers/Brand Managers

• Identify exact names of brand colors
• Create color guide documents
• Share color information for print production

Students/Educators

• Color theory learning tool
• Understanding RGB and HSL color spaces
• Learning color distance calculation algorithms

How to Use

Method 1: HEX Code Input

1. Enter color code in HEX code input field (e.g., #3498DB or 3498DB)
2. Press Enter key or click search button
3. Check detailed information including color name, RGB, HSL
4. 10 similar colors automatically recommended

Method 2: Color Name Search

1. Enter desired color name in color name search field (English or other languages)
2. Select desired color from autocomplete list
3. Detailed information of selected color automatically displayed

Method 3: Using Color Picker

1. Click color picker to select color
2. Information of selected color automatically searched

Method 4: Random Color

1. Click random color button or use Ctrl+Shift+R shortcut
2. Check randomly generated color information

Technical Specifications

Color Database

• 140 CSS standard colors
• Material Design color palette
• Flat Design color palette
• Total of over 160 named colors

Color Distance Calculation

Uses a weighted Euclidean distance algorithm to calculate similarity between colors. Weights are applied to reflect that human vision is most sensitive to green (G), followed by blue (B) and red (R).

Formula: Distance = √[2×(R1-R2)² + 4×(G1-G2)² + 3×(B1-B2)²]

Color Space Conversion

• HEX → RGB: Convert hexadecimal to decimal
• RGB → HSL: Hue-Saturation-Lightness color space conversion
• All conversions processed in real-time on client side

Browser Compatibility

• Supports latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge
• Fallback copy function for browsers without Clipboard API support
• Support for browsers without LocalStorage

Responsive Design

• Desktop: 2-column grid layout
• Tablet (768px and below): 1-column layout, similar colors in 3 columns
• Mobile (480px and below): Optimized 1-2 column layout

Usage Tips

Using Shortcuts

• Enter: Quick search in HEX input field
• Ctrl+Shift+R: Generate random color

Efficient Workflow

• Select approximate color with color picker, then fine-tune HEX value
• Use similar color cards to quickly build color palettes
• Reuse previously used colors with history function
• Instantly copy in needed format (HEX/RGB/HSL) and paste into code

Utilizing Color Name Search

• Quickly explore related colors by searching color families
• Partial search support: enter just “tom” to find “Tomato”
• Compare multiple colors in autocomplete list before selecting

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What’s the difference between 3-digit and 6-digit HEX codes?

A. 3-digit HEX codes are a shorthand format where each digit is repeated twice. For example, #FFF is the same as #FFFFFF. This tool automatically expands 3-digit codes to 6 digits for processing.

Q. It says there’s no exact name for the color I entered.

A. This is displayed when there’s no exact match in the database. In this case, you can check the closest colors in the similar colors section. The first similar color is the closest named color.

Q. What’s the difference between RGB and HSL?

A. RGB represents colors as combinations of Red, Green, and Blue, with each value ranging from 0-255. HSL represents colors using Hue (0-360°), Saturation (0-100%), and Lightness (0-100%). HSL is more intuitive for color adjustments.

Q. My history isn’t being saved.

A. Your browser’s LocalStorage feature may be disabled, or you might be using incognito mode. Enabling LocalStorage in regular browsing mode will allow history to save properly.

Q. What does the color distance value mean?

A. It’s a numerical representation of the difference between the color you entered and database colors. Smaller values indicate more similar colors, with 0 meaning an exact match. The weighted Euclidean distance algorithm reflects human color perception characteristics.

Q. Can I use this on mobile?

A. Yes, it’s built with responsive design and works with optimized screens on mobile, tablet, and desktop devices.

Future Update Plans

• Color harmony suggestions (complementary, analogous, triadic)
• WCAG accessibility contrast ratio calculator
• Color extraction from images
• CMYK color information addition
• Color palette save and export
• Expanded multilingual support

Conclusion

The Color Name Finder tool helps designers, developers, and creators work more effectively with colors. You can obtain the exact name and various format information of a color from just a HEX code, and use similar color recommendations to build color palettes.

All features are provided free of charge and can be used immediately in your browser. No installation or registration required, and no personal information is collected.

We hope this tool proves useful in your creative work.