Chemical elements named after places

This is a list of chemical elements named after places. For a list of other toponyms, i.e., names derived from a place or region, see List of toponyms.

• Americium – The Americas
• Berkelium – University of California, Berkeley
• Californium – state of California and University of California, Berkeley
• Copper is probably named after Cyprus
• Darmstadtium – Darmstadt, Germany
• Dubnium – Dubna, Russia
• Erbium – Ytterby, Sweden
• Europium – Europe
• Francium – France
• Gallium – Gallia, Latin for France. Frenchman Lecoq de Boisbaudran, who was the discoverer of the metal, named it after his country and also subtly for himself. Lecoq (rooster) in Latin is gallus.
• Germanium – Germany
• Hafnium – Hafnia, Latin for Copenhagen
• Hassium – Hesse, Germany
• Holmium – Holmia, Latin for Stockholm
• Lutetium – Lutetia, Latin for Paris
• Magnesium – Magnesia prefecture in Thessaly, Greece
• Polonium – Poland
• Rhenium – Rhenus, Latin for Rhine
• Ruthenium – Ruthenia, Latin for Rus'
• Scandium – Scandia, Latin for Scandinavia
• Strontium – Strontian, Scotland
• Terbium – Ytterby, Sweden
• Thulium – Thule, a mythical island in the far north, perhaps Scandinavia
• Ytterbium – Ytterby, Sweden
• Yttrium – Ytterby, Sweden

Note: Ytterby in Sweden has given its name to four elements: Erbium, Terbium, Ytterbium and Yttrium.

Additionally, the following elements are named after astronomical objects:

• Cerium – Ceres
• Helium – Helios, the Greek name for the Sun
• Neptunium – Neptune
• Palladium – Pallas
• Plutonium – Pluto
• Selenium – Selene, the Greek name for the Moon
• Tellurium – Tellus, the Latin name for the Earth
• Uranium – Uranus

See also

• List of elements by name
• List of elements named after people
• List of places