Science, Tech, Math › Science Elements Named for People: Element Eponyms Share Flipboard Email Print Curium is named for Marie and Pierre Curie. Unknown/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain Science Chemistry Periodic Table Basics Chemical Laws Molecules Projects & Experiments Scientific Method Biochemistry Physical Chemistry Medical Chemistry Chemistry In Everyday Life Famous Chemists Activities for Kids Abbreviations & Acronyms Biology Physics Geology Astronomy Weather & Climate By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Facebook Twitter Chemistry Expert Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College 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. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on December 01, 2019 There are 14 elements named after people, although only 13 of the names are formally accepted by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). Samarium (Sm, 62): The first element named in honor of a person, Samarium is named for its ore, samarskite, which in turn is named for V.E. Samarsky-Bukjovets, the Russian mining engineer who allowed researchers access to his mineral samples. Bohrium (Bh, 107): Niels Bohr Curium (Cm, 96): Pierre and Marie Curie Einsteinium (Es, 99): Albert Einstein Fermium (Fm, 100): Enrico Fermi Gallium (Ga, 31): Named both after Gallia (Latin for France) and its discoverer, Lecoq de Boisbaudran (le coq, the French word for rooster translates to gallus in Latin) Hahnium (105): Otto Hahn (Dubnium, named for the town of Dubna in Russia, is the IUPAC-accepted name for element 105) Lawrencium (Lr, 103): Ernest Lawrence Meitnerium (Mt, 109): Lise Meitner Mendelevium (Md, 101): Dmitri Mendeleev Nobelium (No, 102): Alfred Nobel Roentgenium (Rg, 111): Wilhelm Roentgen (formerly Ununumium) Rutherfordium (Rf, 104): Ernest Rutherford Seaborgium (Sg, 106): Glenn T. Seaborg Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Elements Named for People: Element Eponyms." ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/elements-named-after-people-604310. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2021, February 16). Elements Named for People: Element Eponyms. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/elements-named-after-people-604310 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Elements Named for People: Element Eponyms." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/elements-named-after-people-604310 (accessed March 21, 2023). copy citation