Common name

A common name of a taxon or organism is a name that is generally given by people. A common name is not the organism's scientific name. Common names are used by people to describe something. Some common names are not always used by some people. A common name are also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, trivial name, trivial epithet, country name, popular name, or farmer's name.

Sometimes common names are created by authorities. They do this so the general public would not have to remember or pronounce the Latin name of an animal.

In chemistry

See also: chemical nomenclature

Chemical compounds can also have common names. The systematic name of a chemical is usually defined by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, but these names are often long and complicated. Some chemicals have names known and used outside of chemistry, and some names are older than the concept of systematic names. These names are called traditional or common names.

IUPAC assigns chemicals "preferred IUPAC names", which may be systematic or common names: IUPAC gives acetic acid, benzene, and pyridine as examples of "retained" traditional names.^[1]