Names
Details and Options
- Names ["string"] gives the same list of names as ?string.
- Names returns a list of strings corresponding to the names of symbols.
- The pattern patt can be given as a string with metacharacters, as StringExpression […] or as RegularExpression ["regex"].
- The string can contain the following metacharacters:
-
* match zero or more characters@ match one or more characters, but not uppercase letters
- Names ["context`*"] lists all symbols in the specified context.
- With SpellingCorrection->True , Names includes names that differ in a small fraction of their characters from those specifically requested.
- With IgnoreCase->True or SpellingCorrection->True , Names treats lowercase and uppercase letters as equivalent when matching names.
- Names includes any names with a matching context alias by default. With ResolveContextAliases False , only non-aliased matching names will be returned. »
- Names [] lists all names in all contexts.
Examples
open all close allBasic Examples (2)
Scope (3)
Find all 2-character system functions using StringExpression :
Find all 3-character system functions using RegularExpression :
Get all symbols that start with $ or with Plot :
Options (3)
IgnoreCase (1)
Ignore the case when doing a search for a name:
ResolveContextAliases (1)
Names resolves context aliases by default:
Use the ResolveContextAliases option to prevent alias resolution:
SpellingCorrection (1)
Return closely matching names:
Tech Notes
Related Workflows
- Find All Defined Functions
History
Introduced in 1988 (1.0) | Updated in 2007 (6.0) ▪ 2021 (13.0)
Text
Wolfram Research (1988), Names, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Names.html (updated 2021).
CMS
Wolfram Language. 1988. "Names." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2021. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Names.html.
APA
Wolfram Language. (1988). Names. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Names.html
BibTeX
@misc{reference.wolfram_2025_names, author="Wolfram Research", title="{Names}", year="2021", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Names.html}", note=[Accessed: 04-January-2026]}
BibLaTeX
@online{reference.wolfram_2025_names, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={Names}, year={2021}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Names.html}, note=[Accessed: 04-January-2026]}