What is name Attribute in HTML?

Syntax

Example

• In the above example, the name attribute in <form> is used to reference the form data after form submission.
• The name attribute in <select> identifies the dropdown list (with 3 values - S, M, L).

Supported elements

The elements that support the name attribute are as follows: <button>,<fieldset>,<form>, <iframe>, <input>, <keygen>,<map> ,<meta>,<object>,<output>, <param> , <select>,<textarea>

Type of Value

• The value acts as an identifier. That is, it is a name used to identify the element.
• The ‘name’ attribute does not have any default value.

Value

It is generally a string value.

Supported doctypes

The ‘name’ attribute for elements like button, textarea, select, form, img, a input, object, map, and param is supportext areaTML 4.01 strict, HTML 4.01 transitional, and HTML 4.01 frameset.

4.01 frameset for the frame, iframe.

More Examples

Examples of name attributes with their supporting elements:

button

The name attribute in <button> is used to reference the form data after form submission or reference the element in JavaScript. It contains a single value name that describes the name of the <button> element.

Example

Output

textarea

The HTML <textarea> name Attribute is used to reference the form data after the form submission or reference the element in JavaScript. The value assigned to the name attribute is used to identify a specific textarea element.

Example

Output

select

The name Attribute in <select> specifies a name for the drop-down list. It is used to reference the form data after form submission or to reference the element in JavaScript.

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Output

form

The HTML <form> name Attribute is used to reference the form data after form submission or reference the element in JavaScript. It is a single value name that specifies the name of the <form> element.

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Output

fieldset

The name Attribute in the element <fieldset> is used to refer to all input elements of the fieldset. It is used to reference the form data after submitting the form or to reference the element in JavaScript.

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Output

frame

The name attribute specifies the name of a <frame> element. The name attribute is used to reference the element in JavaScript or to act as a target for a link. The frame tag is not supported in HTML5.

Example

iframe

The name attribute in the <iframe> element is used to identify an <Iframe> Element. The name attribute is also used as a reference to the elements in Javascript.

Output

img

The name attribute in the` element is used to identify an image. The name attribute is obsolete in HTML5 (id can be used instead of it

Example

Output

a

The name attribute is used in Anchor Tag to specify the name of an anchor and “jump” to a specific point on a web page. It is mainly used in large pages or subdivisions. The name attribute for the <a> tag is not supported in HTML5 (id can be used instead).

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Output

input

The <input> name attribute is used to specify a name for an <input> element and references the form data after submitting the form or to reference the element in JavaScript.

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object

The name attribute in <object> is used to specify the name of the embedded file. This attribute is also used as a reference for an object element in Javascript.

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Output

map

The name attribute in <map> is used to specify the name of the image map and is associated with the <img> usemap attribute. It creates a relationship between the image and the map.

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Output

param

The value set to the name Attribute of <param> is used to specify a name for the <param> element. The name attribute is used along with the value attribute to define a parameter for plug-ins associated with the <object> element.

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Output

meta

The HTML <meta> name Attribute is used to specify the name for the metadata. This attribute is used to define the name for the information/value of the content attribute. Either the http-equiv attribute or the name attribute should be set.

Example

What is the Purpose of the HTML name Attribute?

The name attribute identifies a specific element to contribute to the form data sent to a server. Thus, in the case of submitting the value of the control to the server-side processing, the name attribute is a must.

However, it can be neglected if no control value is submitted. For example, the name attribute can be ignored, if there is a single submit button. However, if there are multiple submit buttons the name attribute is used to recognize which button was used on the server side.

The name attribute is allowed and recognized in some elements, disallowed, and ignored in others, and when allowed, its meaning is defined in the definition of the element.

Supported Browsers

The browsers and their first version that supported the name attribute are as follows:

Learn more

To know more about Attributes in HTML head over to Attributes in HTML.