A List of All the Elements of the Periodic Table

Element names and atomic numbers on the periodic table

Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.

Updated on May 15, 2024

Here's a list of the chemical elements ordered by increasing atomic number. The names and element symbols are provided. Each element has a one- or two-letter symbol, which is an abbreviated form of its present or former name. The element number is its atomic number, which is the number of protons in each of its atoms.

Key Takeaways: List of the Elements

There are 118 elements on the periodic table.
Each element is identified by the number of protons in its atoms. This number is the atomic number.
The periodic table lists the elements in order of increasing atomic number.
Each element has a symbol, which is one or two letters. The first letter is always capitalized. If there is a second letter, it is lowercase.
The names of some elements indicate their element group. For example, most noble gases have names ending with -on, while most halogens have names ending with -ine.

All 118 Elements on the Periodic Table

H - Hydrogen
He - Helium
Li - Lithium
Be - Beryllium
B - Boron
C - Carbon
N - Nitrogen
O - Oxygen
F - Fluorine
Ne - Neon
Na - Sodium
Mg - Magnesium
Al - Aluminum, Aluminium
Si - Silicon
P - Phosphorus
S - Sulfur
Cl - Chlorine
Ar - Argon
K - Potassium
Ca - Calcium
Sc - Scandium
Ti - Titanium
V - Vanadium
Cr - Chromium
Mn - Manganese
Fe - Iron
Co - Cobalt
Ni - Nickel
Cu - Copper
Zn - Zinc
Ga - Gallium
Ge - Germanium
As - Arsenic
Se - Selenium
Br - Bromine
Kr - Krypton
Rb - Rubidium
Sr - Strontium
Y - Yttrium
Zr - Zirconium
Nb - Niobium
Mo - Molybdenum
Tc - Technetium
Ru - Ruthenium
Rh - Rhodium
Pd - Palladium
Ag - Silver
Cd - Cadmium
In - Indium
Sn - Tin
Sb - Antimony
Te - Tellurium
I - Iodine
Xe - Xenon
Cs - Cesium
Ba - Barium
La - Lanthanum
Ce - Cerium
Pr - Praseodymium
Nd - Neodymium
Pm - Promethium
Sm - Samarium
Eu - Europium
Gd - Gadolinium
Tb - Terbium
Dy - Dysprosium
Ho - Holmium
Er - Erbium
Tm - Thulium
Yb - Ytterbium
Lu - Lutetium
Hf - Hafnium
Ta - Tantalum
W - Tungsten
Re - Rhenium
Os - Osmium
Ir - Iridium
Pt - Platinum
Au - Gold
Hg - Mercury
Tl - Thallium
Pb - Lead
Bi - Bismuth
Po - Polonium
At - Astatine
Rn - Radon
Fr - Francium
Ra - Radium
Ac - Actinium
Th - Thorium
Pa - Protactinium
U - Uranium
Np - Neptunium
Pu - Plutonium
Am - Americium
Cm - Curium
Bk - Berkelium
Cf - Californium
Es - Einsteinium
Fm - Fermium
Md - Mendelevium
No - Nobelium
Lr - Lawrencium
Rf - Rutherfordium
Db - Dubnium
Sg - Seaborgium
Bh - Bohrium
Hs - Hassium
Mt - Meitnerium
Ds - Darmstadtium
Rg - Roentgenium
Cn - Copernicium
Nh - Nihonium
Fl - Flerovium
Mc - Moscovium
Lv - Livermorium
Ts - Tennessine
Og - Oganesson

How Are Chemical Elements Named?

Most elements on the periodic table are metals and have the -ium suffix. Halogen names usually end with -ine, and noble gas names usually have the -on ending. Elements with names not following these naming conventions tend to be ones known and discovered long ago.

Future Element Names

Right now, the periodic table is "complete" in that there are no remaining spots in the 7 periods. However, new elements may be synthesized or discovered. As with other elements, the atomic number will be determined by the number of protons within each atom. The element name and element symbol will need to be reviewed and approved by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) before inclusion on the periodic table. The element names and symbols may be proposed by the element discoverer, but often undergo revision before final approval.

Before a name and symbol are approved, an element may be referred to by its atomic number (e.g., element 120) or by its systematic element name. The systematic element name is a temporary name that is based on the atomic number as a root and the -ium ending as a suffix. For example, hypothetical element 120 has the temporary name unbinilium.

Elements Named After People

Fourteen elements are named after people, but only 13 of these names are accepted by the IUPAC. Einsteinium, for example, is named after Albert Einstein, and nobelium is named after Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite. Element 105 also goes by the name Hahnium (after Otto Hahn), but its accepted name is dubnium.