Element symbols that come from old names
11 elements. Ten symbols come from Latin (one, Hg, by way of Greek); W comes from the German and Swedish "wolfram."
Most element symbols match their English names: O for oxygen, C for carbon. A few do not, because they come from the old Latin names that chemists used when the symbols were set in the 1800s. These eleven trip people up, so they are worth learning on their own.
These are pairs (symbol and name) that don't look alike, which is exactly where a mnemonic earns its keep. Make each pair into one vivid picture that holds both, like the hooks below, then test yourself from both sides: symbol to name and name to symbol. Saying the old name out loud ("aurum") is the bridge between the two.
Encode make it vivid → Space bring it back on day 1, 3, 7, 21 → Retrieve pull it from your head. From the infographic Remember It on Purpose.
Element symbols that come from old names
| Symbol | Element | Old name | Atomic number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Na | Sodium | natrium | 11 |
| K | Potassium | kalium | 19 |
| Fe | Iron | ferrum | 26 |
| Cu | Copper | cuprum | 29 |
| Ag | Silver | argentum | 47 |
| Sn | Tin | stannum | 50 |
| Sb | Antimony | stibium | 51 |
| Au | Gold | aurum | 79 |
| Hg | Mercury | hydrargyrum | 80 |
| Note: From the Greek hydrargyros, "liquid silver," through Latin. | |||
| Pb | Lead | plumbum | 82 |
| W | Tungsten | wolfram | 74 |
| Note: Not Latin: wolfram is the old German and Swedish name for the metal and its ore. | |||
These are pairs (symbol and name) that don't look alike, which is exactly where a mnemonic earns its keep. Make each pair into one vivid picture that holds both, like the hooks below, then test yourself from both sides: symbol to name and name to symbol. Saying the old name out loud ("aurum") is the bridge between the two. · teddyrookbook.com/memory/challenges/element-symbols-latin/
Sources
- Teddy Rook Book periodic table data (data/elements/elements.json; IUPAC/CIAAW and NIST)
- PubChem (NIH): Periodic Table of Elements, with standard state
Checked October 30, 2026. Progress is kept on this device only (per learner). More lists: all memory challenges · memory games.