Maroon
A deep brownish red named for the French word for chestnut
Maroon is a dark, brownish red colour whose name comes from the French word for chestnut. It is widely used in flags, uniforms, and school colours, and is defined in web colours as a shade made by dimming pure red. The shade is linked with religious dress, national symbols, and sporting teams in several countries.
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- Named after the French word for chestnut, 'marron'
- First recorded as a colour name in English in 1789
- Official colour of Queensland, Australia since 2003
- Worn by Vajrayana Buddhist monks and in Philippine Catholic processions
- Used in the flags of Qatar and Phoenix, Arizona
What colour is Maroon?
Maroon is a dark colour that sits between red and brown. It is often described as a brownish red, sometimes with a hint of purple or crimson, depending on the source. The web version of maroon is created by reducing the brightness of pure red by about half, resulting in a deep, muted tone. Maroon is distinct from similar shades like burgundy, claret, and mulberry, though these names sometimes overlap.
Where does Maroon come from?
The word maroon comes from the French 'marron', meaning chestnut, which itself traces back to Italian and medieval Greek words for the nut and the colour brown. The first known use of maroon as a colour name in English dates to 1789. In French, 'marron' can also simply mean brown.
How Maroon is defined
For digital screens, maroon is defined in the sRGB colour model by lowering the brightness of pure red to about half its maximum. In web colours, it is represented by the hex code #800000. There is no single pigment or dye for maroon; instead, it is mixed from red and brown tones in paint or textiles.
Where Maroon is used
Maroon appears widely in flags, uniforms, and clothing. It is the official colour of Queensland, Australia, and features in the flags of Qatar, Phoenix (Arizona), and sometimes Latvia. Many schools and universities use maroon for their teams and branding. The maroon beret is worn by airborne forces in several countries. In textiles, maroon is seen in velvet and other fabrics.
What Maroon means
In Vajrayana Buddhism, maroon robes are worn by monks, including the Dalai Lama. In the Philippines, Catholic devotees of the Black Nazarene wear maroon and gold during religious processions. Maroon is a national colour in places like Queensland and Qatar, and is used to show state or team pride, especially in sports.
Red around the world
What the red family means from country to country.
Red ochre is used in Aboriginal rock art and ceremony, and is traded over long distances. In the Aboriginal flag the red half stands for the earth and for that ochre.
Sacred and holyNature and renewalAweSource: Australian Aboriginal flagThe national flag sets a gold lion on a maroon panel, which stands for the Sinhalese majority. Four bo leaves in the corners are for the Buddhist virtues of kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity.
Politics and protestSource: Flag of Sri LankaRed is the colour of the left, above all the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, whose supporters march in red on May Day.
Politics and protestSource: Janatha Vimukthi PeramunaThe flag is dark red with a narrow white band, a shade often called Latvian red. Legend says a wounded chief was wrapped in a white sheet, which his blood stained on either side.
Politics and protestCourageSource: Flag of LatviaThe flag has a blue band over a red one. In wartime it is flown upside down with the red on top, a rule few other national flags share. Red stands for patriotism and valour.
Politics and protestCourageSource: Flag of the PhilippinesEach January, devotees in maroon and yellow crowd the streets of Manila for the procession of the Black Nazarene, a dark wooden statue of Christ carrying the cross.
Sacred and holyAweSource: Black NazareneShades and relatives of Maroon
Related shades include burgundy, claret, mulberry, and crimson, which can overlap with maroon in appearance. The Crayola crayon maroon is a brighter, more rose-toned version. 'Rich maroon' (as in X11 colour names) is also lighter and more rose than the web standard. Mystic maroon is a metallic crayon shade. The web colour 'dark red' is similar but not identical.
Colours that go with Maroon
Harmonies are worked out from the value #800000. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Maroon
What colour is maroon?
Maroon is a dark, brownish red. It is made by dimming pure red to about half its brightness, resulting in a deep, muted tone.
Where does the name maroon come from?
The name maroon comes from the French word 'marron', which means chestnut. It was first used as a colour name in English in 1789.
Where is maroon used as a national or official colour?
Maroon is the official colour of Queensland, Australia, and appears in the flags of Qatar and Phoenix, Arizona. It is also used in school colours and sports teams in several countries.
Does maroon have religious significance?
Yes, maroon robes are worn by Vajrayana Buddhist monks, and in the Philippines, Catholic devotees of the Black Nazarene wear maroon during processions.
How is maroon defined in web colours?
In web colours, maroon is created by reducing the brightness of pure red by half, and is represented by the hex code #800000.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Maroon", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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