15 Types of Crimson Color

John Spacey, November 28, 2019

Crimson is a slightly bluish red. This originally refers to the color of the kermes dye produced from the kermes insect. This dye was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans and is amongst the earliest colorful dyes widely used for fabrics. It is considered an incredibly vibrant color that is also somewhat grim due to its similarity to the color of oxygenated blood. The following are common types of crimson color.

Crimson

#8c000f

Oxblood

#800020

Rosewood

#65000b

Alizarin Crimson

#e32636

Burnt Crimson

#582124

Crimson Glory

#be0032

Crimson Red

#980001

Crimson Strawberry

#9f2d47

Electric Crimson

#ff003f

Harvard Crimson

#c90016

Rusted Crimson

#60372e

Spanish Crimson

#e51a4c

Spartan Crimson

#9e1316

True Crimson

#a22042

Vivid Crimson

#cc0033

Word Origin

The origin of the word Crimson relates to the Persian qirmiz, meaning red, that became the English kermes, a type of insect. The kermes insect was used to produce a red dye known as kermes dye. The pronunciation and spelling of kermes dye, fabric and color changed over time to became crimson. This occurred by the 14th century. Crimson was a common word for a red color in late Middle English.

Overview: Crimson Color
Type	Red
Component Colors	red+blue
Similar Colors	Oxblood Rosewood
Associations	An ancient color that is nonetheless considered youthful and vibrant. Commonly used in iconography such as school colors. In literature, crimson is often presented as having grim connotations due to the sound of the word and the similarity of the color crimson to the color of blood. A crimson tide is a type of algal bloom that can turn the surface of water a bright red.