Red

The color name "Red" has been approved in accordance with the internal procedures of The Official Register of Color Names.

Record Validation Evidence: Wikipedia/Red

The origin of the color name "red" traces back to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root *reudh-, which is understood to mean red or ruddy. This ancient root, dating back to around 4500 to 2500 BC, laid the foundation for the development of the word for red in various Indo-European languages over the subsequent millennia. The linguistic evolution of the term can be observed in Proto-Germanic, the ancestor of all Germanic languages spoken circa 500 BC to 500 AD, where the word for red was *rauthaz, stemming directly from the PIE root. This Proto-Germanic term further evolved into Old English as "read," pronounced akin to "red" as we say it today.

In parallel, Latin, another Indo-European language, developed its own terms for red: "rufus" and "rubinus," both also derivatives of the PIE root *reudh-. The Latin etymological heritage influenced the Romance languages, leading to words like "rouge" in French. Meanwhile, in the Germanic language branch, Old High German adopted the word "rot," and Old Norse had "rauðr" for red, both of which were descendants of the Proto-Germanic *rauthaz. The modern English word "red" preserves this extensive etymological lineage, echoing a common ancestral linguistic heritage shared across various cultures and languages over time.

In the Register's classification, #FF0000 ("Red") belongs to the Red Color Family, featuring Full Saturation and Light brightness. In numbers: rgb(255, 0, 0) (100% red, 0% green, 0% blue), or CMYK 0 / 100 / 100 / 0 for print. Curious how these numbers work? Read our RGB color codes guide.

A intensely saturated red, #FF0000 carries an easy, daylight feel. Expect to see shades like this in accents, call-to-action elements and statement visuals. In The Official Register of Color Names it is practically indistinguishable from Candy Apple Red (#FF0800). Slightly further away sit Fahad (#FF0808) and Cadmium Red Light (#FF030D).

In RGB terms — rgb(255, 0, 0) — the red channel does the heavy lifting here. Accessibility-wise, black text works best on #FF0000: 5.3:1 contrast (passing WCAG AA) versus 4.0:1 for white. This precise shade carries the officially registered name "Red" in the Register.