Design & Colour
HEX to Closest Named Colour
Pick or paste a hex colour to see the closest common CSS colour name.
Which named colour is closest to this hex?
Design conversations often need a plain CSS colour name closest to a brand hex. This tool parses your colour, then finds the nearest entry in a fixed list of common CSS named colours by Euclidean distance in RGB space, showing the name, named hex and distance. RGB distance is fast but not perceptually uniform — two pairs with equal distance can look differently “close” to the eye. For exact channel breakdowns use the HEX RGB HSL converter; for opposites on the wheel see complementary colour.
Worked example
#2A6F97 is typically nearest to a teal/steel named colour in the list; distance depends on which names are included in the subset.
Limits and assumptions
Uses a curated subset (~30 names), not every CSS Color Module keyword. Does not search brand libraries (Pantone, etc.).
Frequently asked questions
What do HEX, RGB and CSS mean?
HEX is a colour code like #2A6F97. RGB is red/green/blue channel values (0–255). CSS is the language websites use for styling — “named colours” are the built-in names browsers understand (like teal or coral).
Why not LAB distance?
Euclidean RGB is simple and matches how many quick scripts behave; LAB would be more perceptual but heavier.
Are British spellings like “grey” included?
The list uses common CSS keywords (e.g. gray). Check the named hex if spelling differs.
Transparent colours?
Enter opaque hex only.