Chemical elements named after places
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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