Quick Answer
The symbol we use for hashtags is technically called an octothorpe. While its exact origin is unclear, it's a fascinating example of how a simple, initially obscure term from the telephone industry has become a globally recognised icon in our digital world, transforming a mundane symbol into a powerful communication tool.
In a hurry? TL;DR
- 1The hashtag symbol is technically called an octothorpe, with 'octo' referring to its eight points.
- 2The origin of the 'thorpe' part of octothorpe is mysterious, with theories pointing to athlete Jim Thorpe or the Old English word for village.
- 3Bell Labs engineers coined the term 'octothorpe' in the 1960s for the Touch-Tone telephone system's extra buttons.
- 4The symbol was initially a proofreader's mark or shorthand for weight before its telecommunications use.
- 5Chris Messina popularized the hashtag on Twitter in 2007, transforming it into a tool for grouping conversations and a cultural icon.
- 6The octothorpe is a rare modern word created specifically for technical documentation that went on to achieve global digital significance.
Why It Matters
The octothorpe, the technical name for the humble hashtag, traces its mysterious 'thorpe' suffix to a debate between honouring an Olympic hero or referencing an Old English word for village.
The hashtag symbol we use daily to categorise tweets or dial extensions is technically known as the octothorpe. While the octo prefix refers to its eight points, the origin of thorpe remains one of the great etymological mysteries of the telecommunications age.
Key Facts and Figures
- Technical Name: Octothorpe
- Alternative Names: Hash, pound sign, number sign, crunch, hex
- Year of Origin: Circa 1960s
- Primary Source: Bell Labs
- Points of Contact: Eight (leading to the octo prefix)
Why It Matters
Understanding the octothorpe reveals how corporate mythology and linguistic playfulness can transform a mundane utility symbol into a global digital icon.
The Secret History of the Symbol
Long before the hashtag dominated social media, the symbol lived a quiet life as a proofreader’s mark for space or a shorthand for weight. Everything changed in the 1960s at Bell Labs, the research arm of AT&T.
Don MacPherson, a Bell Labs supervisor, is credited with inventing the term. During the development of the Touch-Tone telephone system, engineers needed a name for the non-numerical buttons. While octo was a logical choice for the points, the second half of the word was born from a mix of whimsy and obscurity.
The Mystery of the Thorpe
According to Merriam-Webster, the etymology of the latter half of the word is murky at best. There are two primary schools of thought regarding its birth.
The first theory suggests it was named after Jim Thorpe, the Olympic athlete. MacPherson was allegedly a fan and used the name to provide the symbol with a sturdy, respectable suffix.
The second theory points toward the Old English word thorp, meaning village. In cartography, the symbol occasionally represented a village surrounded by eight fields. Unlike other typographical marks with Latin roots, the octothorpe is a modern, slightly awkward construction that stuck.
From Bell Labs to #BlackLivesMatter
The symbol remained a niche technical term until 1988, when it was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary. However, its true cultural explosion occurred in August 2007.
Chris Messina, a product designer, suggested using the symbol to group discussions on Twitter. He chose it because it was easy to type on early mobile phones and was already used in Internet Relay Chat (IRC) networks to designate channels.
Industry Recognition
The American Dialect Society recognised the symbol’s cultural shift in 2012, naming the hashtag the Word of the Year. This marked the moment the symbol transitioned from a telephone utility to a tool for global political and social coordination.
Sharp Applications
- Telephone Navigation: In telephony, the octothorpe usually signals the end of a digit string or a command to a computerised system.
- Programming: In languages like Python and Ruby, the symbol is used to denote comments, telling the computer to ignore the text that follows.
- Social Metadata: On Instagram and TikTok, it functions as a metadata tag, allowing algorithms to categorise and distribute content.
Is a hashtag the same thing as an octothorpe?
The octothorpe is the symbol itself (#). A hashtag is the combination of the octothorpe and a keyword used to categorise content on social media.
Why is it called a pound sign in America?
The name pound sign comes from its use as a shorthand for weight (libra pondo). In the UK, this is avoided to prevent confusion with the British Pound (£) currency.
Who actually named it?
Most linguistic historians point to Don MacPherson of Bell Labs in the early 1960s, though some accounts credit his colleague George Brightwell.
Key Takeaways
- Precise Roots: The term was coined at Bell Labs during the 1960s.
- Linguistic Mystery: The thorpe suffix has no definitive origin, though Jim Thorpe is the most popular candidate.
- Modern Shift: It evolved from a proofreader's tool to a telephone command, and finally into a digital navigational anchor.
- Global Standard: Despite its technical name, hash remains the dominant colloquial term in British English.
Next time you tag a photo or navigate a phone menu, remember you are using a piece of corporate linguistic fiction designed to make a button sound more professional than it actually was.
