This page lists the 599 colors whose names start with E, each on a swatch with its RGB value, hex code, shade and maker; the next letter loads as you scroll. The whole list, A to Z, starts on the List of Colors.
How this list works: sources, RGB and hex codes, and shades
What the list covers
The list covers the named colors of the web, the colors every browser knows by name, with the numbered variants of the X11 color list they grew from; brand colors whose owners publish their screen values, such as Android Green; the paint colors of Resene, Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, Behr, Dunn-Edwards, PPG, Glidden, Farrow & Ball, Little Greene, Dulux Australia, Asian Paints, Nerolac and Jotun, each with the screen value its maker publishes; Pantone’s cotton (TCX) colors for fashion and interiors and a few of its paper (TPG) colors, with the screen values a Pantone dealer publishes; a few Crayola colors; and the color names of the xkcd color survey, a 2010 online survey in which people named colors shown on their screens. Pantone sells its own screen values under license, so its rows give a dealer’s screen approximation; match a physical Pantone guide when an exact color matters. RAL offers its screen values in licensed digital libraries, which this edition does not use, so RAL names are left out rather than shown with values copied from other sites. A few Crayola colors are included where Crayola’s own website shows the value; these are screen previews, not measurements of the crayons. A screen value is a maker’s published digital approximation, so paint on a wall looks different in daylight and lamplight, and on a different finish.
Letters go live one at a time; colors starting with A and B were checked on Oct. 11, 2026.
One name, several colors
The same name often belongs to several makers, each with its own color. Afterglow, for one, is a golden ochre at Resene, a soft apricot at Sherwin-Williams, a pale lemon at Dunn-Edwards and a cream in Pantone’s range. That is normal: every maker names its own colors, and no body controls color names. So each version gets its own plate, and the line under the name says whose color it is.
How color is measured: RGB and hex codes
A screen makes every color from three lights: red, green and blue. In the 8-bit sRGB system used on the web, each is set to a number from 0, off, to 255, full strength, and the three numbers together are the RGB value. 0, 0, 0 is black, 255, 255, 255 is white, and 255, 0, 0 is the most saturated red sRGB can show. That gives 256 × 256 × 256, or 16,777,216, possible codes, which is a count of codes rather than of every color the eye can see; screens also differ in the colors they can show.
Screens mix red, green and blue light. Full red plus full green makes yellow; all three at full strength make white; none at all is black.
A hex code writes the same three numbers in base 16, the counting system with the digits 0 to 9 and A to F, two digits for each light, after a # sign. Alice Blue shows how it works:
Red240= F0Green248= F8Blue255= FFHex#F0F8FFAlice Blue
240 is 15 sixteens and 0 ones, and 15 is written F, so 240 becomes F0. A paint chip is a different thing: it reflects light rather than giving it off, so a paint maker’s RGB value is a published digital approximation of the paint, not the paint itself, and a hex code is not an ink or paint recipe.
Some paint notes give a light reflectance value (LRV): the share of light a painted surface reflects, on a scale of 0 to 100. A color has a note only when there is a fact worth telling, such as where its name comes from or how its maker describes it.
How each color gets its shade
Each color gets exactly one shade, worked out from its RGB value rather than from its name. The value is first read in OKLCH, a perceptual color model that approximates how the eye judges lightness (L), chroma or colorfulness (C) and hue (h); OKLCH gives the coordinates, and the twelve shades are GKBook’s own browsing convention. A color with low chroma is white when very light, black when very dark and gray otherwise, and a very light color with only a faint tint counts as white. Every other color is placed by its hue on the wheel below. Reds, oranges and yellows that are dark or muted count as brown, which is why beige, tan and taupe land there; light reds count as pink; and in the band between purple and red, light colors count as pink and darker ones as purple. Every color in the list is then checked by eye against these definitions, and where the eye and the rule differ, the checked shade is used: a blue gray with a clear blue cast goes to blue, a golden mustard to yellow and an olive to green or brown as it looks. Alice Blue and Azure, two web colors, are such pale tints that they are grouped with white; their blue and cyan casts show on their swatches.
The outer ring shows the hues as OKLCH places them; the inner bands show which shade each hue falls in. Colors with low chroma go to white, gray or black, and dark or muted reds, oranges and yellows go to brown.
How many of the colors in this edition fall in each shade. The paint ranges listed here include many whites, grays and beiges, so the neutral shades lead.
Eagle appears in the mid 14th century from Old French egle and Old Provençal aigla, from the Latin aquila, black eagle, and it displaced the native erne. Aquila is often explained as the dark colored bird, from aquilus, blackish, but some scholars think the color word came from the bird, and Etymonline calls the origin uncertain. Resene suggests Hemlock and Merino as companion colors.
The tea called Earl Grey is dated to the 1880s and was originally Chinese tea blended with oil of bergamot. Etymonline says it was supposedly made from a recipe given in the 1830s to Charles, 2nd Earl Grey, the Whig prime minister, but it also notes the tea may have been named for him later for commercial reasons. PPG describes Earl Gray as a saturated, gray, earthy beige with a dusty pink undertone. PPG publishes an LRV of about 32 for Earl Gray.
Earth comes from the Old English eorthe, which meant ground, soil, dirt, dry land or country, from a Proto Germanic ertho. The sense of the planet dates from about 1400.
Behr describes Earth Fired Red as a dark brown reminiscent of sun baked soil and ancient pottery. Behr publishes an LRV of about 10 for Earth Fired Red.
Earthenware, joining earthen and ware, dates to the 1670s. Earthen, made of earth, is recorded from the early 13th century, and its sense of made of clay is attested from the late 14th century. Behr marks Earthenware as archived. Behr publishes an LRV of about 31 for Earthenware.
Ebb comes from the Old English ebba, the falling of the tide, possibly from a Germanic root meaning off or away, though the source is uncertain. The figurative sense of decline appears in the late 14th century, and the compound ebb tide dates from 1776. Resene suggests Link Water and Rebel as companion colors.
Ebony, the dark hard wood, is recorded from the 1590s, perhaps as an extended form of Middle English ebon. The word goes back through Latin ebenus to the Greek ebenos, which Etymonline says probably came from Egyptian hbnj, though it allows another Semitic source. Ebony stood for intense blackness from the 1620s.
Echo, a sound repeated by reflection, entered English in the mid 14th century from the Latin echo and the Greek ēkhō, related to Greek words for sound and to resound. In classical myth Echo was a mountain nymph who loved Narcissus and wasted away until only her voice remained. Resene suggests Imagine and Bounce as companion colors.
Eclipse entered English about 1300 from Old French, from the Latin eclipsis and the Greek ekleipsis, literally a failing or abandoning. The Greek verb meant to leave an accustomed place, fail to appear or be darkened. The figurative sense, to overshadow, appears from the 1570s.
Ecru entered English in 1869 as a name for the color of raw silk or unbleached linen. It comes from the French écru, raw or unbleached, from Old French escru, which joins an intensifying prefix to the Latin crudus, raw, the same root behind crude.
Edamame, young green soybeans usually sold in the pod, takes its name from the Japanese eda, branch, and mame, beans. Merriam-Webster dates its first known use in English to 1951. Sherwin-Williams reports an LRV of about 19.9 for Edamame.
Edelweiss came into English in 1862 from German, where the name means roughly noble white. The first part goes back to an Old High German word for noble, related to the English atheling, and the second is the German word for white. PPG describes Edelweiss as a pale, muted, golden yellow with a honey yellow undertone. PPG publishes an LRV of about 79 for Edelweiss.
Eden has meant a delightful place in English since the early 13th century, after the garden in Genesis. Etymonline usually traces it to the Hebrew edhen, pleasure or delight, but it also notes a possible Ugaritic base meaning a well watered place and a view that roots it in the Akkadian edinnu, plain.
Behr describes Effervescent as a pure, light yellow evocative of enjoying a tart, frozen lemonade in the summer. Behr publishes an LRV of about 90 for Effervescent.
Egg nog is first recorded about 1775 in American English, joining egg and nog, a strong ale. Nog appears in the 1670s and was defined in the 1690s as a strong beer brewed in Norfolk, England, but its origin is unknown, and a link to noggin is only a possibility.
Eggplant, recorded in 1763, simply joins egg and plant, and Etymonline notes that the original variety was white. The name aubergine, recorded from 1775, came through French, Catalan and Arabic from Persian and Sanskrit, and aubergine has served as a color name since 1895.
Eggshell, a compound of egg and shell, appears in the early 15th century and replaced an older word built on the Old English word for egg. It has been used as a color term since 1894, and from 1835 it also described anything thin and delicate. To tread on eggshells, meaning to proceed with great caution, is attested from 1734. In paint, eggshell also names a low sheen finish that Benjamin Moore ranks above flat and matte and below pearl and satin, saying it reflects more light than flat or matte paint and is easy to clean. Benjamin Moore publishes an LRV of about 87.7 for Eggshell.
Egret dates to the mid 14th century and comes from Old French aigrette, from Old Provençal aigreta, a diminutive of aigron, heron. Etymonline says the word is perhaps of Germanic origin and shares its source with heron.
The eider, a sea duck, gave English its name in 1743 through German or Dutch eider from the Old Norse æþr, duck. Eiderdown, the soft feathers the bird uses to line its nest, followed in 1774 from the Icelandic æðardun. Sherwin-Williams reports an LRV of about 73.2 for Eider White.
The elder of elderberry is a tree name recorded about 1400, from Middle English ellen and Old English ellæn, elder tree. Its origin is unclear, and Etymonline says the d is unetymological, perhaps borrowed from alder, a word that gained its own d in the 14th century. Benjamin Moore publishes an LRV of about 7.2 for Elderberry Wine.
Electric goes back to the Modern Latin electricus, amber like, coined by William Gilbert in De Magnete in 1600 from the Greek ēlektron, amber. Sir Thomas Browne first used electric in English in the 1640s, for substances that attract other things when rubbed, and the sense charged with electricity dates from the 1670s. Benjamin Moore reports an LRV of about 27.7 for Electric Blue.
Elephant appears about 1300 as Middle English olyfaunt, from Old French olifant, Latin elephantus and the Greek elephas, a word that meant both elephant and ivory. The spelling was remodeled on the Latin after 1550. Etymonline says the ultimate source may be a language outside the Indo European family, perhaps spread by the Phoenicians. Resene suggests Tussock and Lemon Grass as companion colors.
Elk is first recorded in late Old English as elch, and Etymonline gives more than one possible path: from Old Norse elgr, from an altered form of Old English elh or from Middle High German elch, all from a Proto Germanic elkh. Related Balto Slavic words for deer may trace to a root that refers to a reddish color. In North America the name was applied to similar looking but unrelated animals. Benjamin Moore publishes an LRV of about 27.9 for Elk.
Elm is an Old English word from Proto Germanic elmaz, and it may come from an Indo European root meaning red or brown. Etymonline calls elm the toughest native European wood, used in shipbuilding and for wheel naves. New Haven, Connecticut, was nicknamed the Elm City by 1871.
Ember comes from the Old English æmerge, a small live coal, which merged with or was influenced by the Old Norse eimyrja, both from a Proto Germanic compound built on words for ashes and burning. Etymonline says the b is not part of the original word and first appears in the mid 15th century. Resene suggests Bamboo and Natural as companion colors.
Emerald entered English about 1300 as emeraude, from Old French esmeraude, Medieval Latin esmaraldus and Latin smaragdus, from the Greek smaragdos, green gem. The Greek word is traced to a Semitic source meaning shining, related to the Hebrew bareqeth, emerald. Etymonline notes that early gem names were vague and that the OED doubts the classical smaragdus was the modern emerald. Pantone named Emerald its Color of the Year for 2013.
The 19th century pigment called emerald green, also known as Paris green or Schweinfurt green, was copper acetoarsenite, a compound of copper and arsenic. National Geographic reports that it was developed commercially in 1814 in Schweinfurt, Germany, and colored Victorian wallpaper, clothing and bookcloth even though arsenic's toxicity was known at the time. This Emerald Green belongs to Resene's Colorwood wood stain range.
Behr describes Emergency Zone as a vivid orange that is sure to get attention wherever it is placed. Behr publishes an LRV of about 27 for Emergency Zone.
Eminence meant a projection about 1400 and a high or exalted position by the early 15th century, from the Latin eminentia, from eminens, standing out. Since the 1650s it has been a title of honor, now given only to cardinals. The French éminence grise, gray eminence, first described the confidential agent of Cardinal Richelieu. Resene suggests Guardsman Red and Fun Blue as companion colors.
Emperor came into English in the early 13th century from Old French empereor and the Latin imperator, commander, from imperare, to command. In Rome it was first a title given by the army's vote to a victorious general, and the Senate later granted it to Julius and Augustus Caesar. Resene reports an LRV of about 13.0 for Emperor.
Behr describes Energetic Pink as a light, playful raspberry rose that's just ripe for brightening a room. Behr publishes an LRV of about 64 for Energetic Pink.
Enigma came into English in 1539 from the Latin aenigma, a riddle, borrowed from the Greek ainigma, a statement in allusive language. The Greek word grew from a verb meaning to hint or speak obscurely, from ainos, a tale or riddle of unclear origin. Resene suggests Rum Swizzle and Mischka as companion colors.
Envy entered English in the late 13th century from Old French envie and the Latin invidia, from invidere, which joins in, upon, and videre, to see. Its original sense was to look upon someone with malice or cast an evil eye. Resene suggests Bali Hai and Everglade as companion colors.
Eon entered English in the 1640s through Late Latin aeon from the Greek aiōn, an age, a lifetime or a long period of time, whose plural came to mean eternity. Its root is an Indo European word for life force or long life. Behr describes Eon as a neutral pale gray with a slight glimpse of a green undertones. Behr publishes an LRV of about 65 for Eon.
Ephemera began in the late 14th century as a medical term, from the Medieval Latin ephemera febris, a fever lasting one day. The Greek source ephemeros means lasting only a day, from epi, on, and hemera, day. The word spread to short lived insects and flowers in the 17th century, and the general sense of anything transitory is attested from 1751.
Equator was borrowed in the late 14th century from the Medieval Latin aequator diei et noctis, equalizer of day and night, from aequare, to make equal. It first named the celestial equator, where day and night are equal when the sun is on it twice a year, and the line around the earth midway between the poles is recorded from the 1610s. Resene suggests Revolver and Cab Sav as companion colors.
Escarpment entered English in 1802 from French, from escarper, to make into a steep slope, and ultimately the Italian scarpa, slope. The shorter escarp dates to the 1680s, and scarp first described the inner slope of the ditch around a fortification. Benjamin Moore publishes an LRV of about 34.5 for Escarpment.
An espalier is a fruit tree or shrub trained to grow flat against a wall or trellis, and Merriam-Webster dates the noun in English to 1662. The word came from French and goes back to the Italian spalla, shoulder, from the Late Latin spatula, shoulder blade. Sherwin-Williams reports an LRV of about 9.1 for Espalier.
Espresso, coffee brewed under steam pressure, is dated to 1945 in English. It comes from the Italian caffè espresso, from esprimere, from the Latin exprimere, to press out, and Etymonline ties the name to that pressure. Expresso is listed as a variant spelling.
Behr describes Espresso Beans as a caffeinated dark brown that is bold and beautiful with a dash of mystery. Behr publishes an LRV of about 6 for Espresso Beans.
Behr describes Espresso Martini as a soft, mid taupe neutral, flavored by coffee brown and notes of gray. Behr publishes an LRV of about 34 for Espresso Martini.
Ethereal, from ether, is recorded from the 1510s for the highest regions of the atmosphere. Ether comes through Latin from the Greek aithēr, the bright pure upper air, from a verb meaning to burn or shine. The sense light and airy dates from the 1590s and spirit like from the 1640s. Resene suggests Meditation and Poured Milk as companion colors.
Eucalyptus was coined in Modern Latin in 1788 by the French botanist Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle and reached English in 1789. It joins the Greek eu, well, and kalyptos, covered, a reference to the covering over the flower buds of these Australian evergreen trees.
Eventide, an old word for evening, comes from the Old English æfentid, joining even and tide. Tide first meant a point or portion of time, and the Old English tīd also meant a season, a feast day or a canonical hour.
Behr describes Everblooming as a slightly dusty tea rose pink, reminiscent of a late blooming tulip. Behr publishes an LRV of about 63 for Everblooming.
Everglades is recorded in 1826, from everglade of 1823, the year Charles Vignoles wrote of the Eternal Glades and the Ever Glade morass in Florida. Etymonline reads ever here as probably endless, and glade, a clear open space in a wood, took the American sense of low marshy grassland by 1789. Benjamin Moore publishes an LRV of about 37.4 for Everglades.
Evergreen, joining ever and green, was used of trees and shrubs in the 1640s, became an adjective in the 1660s and took a figurative sense in 1871. Green itself comes from the Old English grene, of the color of living plants, from an ancient root meaning to grow.
Excalibur, King Arthur's sword, appears about 1140 as Caliburnus in Geoffrey of Monmouth and about 1300 as the Old French Escalibor. Etymonline says the Latin apparently comes from the Welsh Caledvwlch, probably a variant of Caladbolg, a legendary Irish sword whose name might mean hard belly, that is, voracious.
No CSS web color name starts with E. Well-known ones include the xkcd survey colors Emerald, Electric Blue and Eggplant, school colors such as Emory Blue, and paint colors such as Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray and Sherwin-Williams Evergreen Fog. This page lists 599 colors starting with E, each with its RGB value, hex code and shade.
Why do some E names appear more than once?
70 names starting with E belong to more than one maker, and each maker gives the name its own color. Each version has its own plate, with the maker named under it.
Can I copy a hex code?
Yes. Click or tap any hex code on a plate to copy it, ready to paste into a design or web page.
Will the paint on a wall match the color on screen?
Not exactly. A screen value is the paint maker's best match for a screen; paint looks different under daylight, lamps and in the sample size, so check a real sample before you buy.
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