Question: where does the red sea get its name

title: Red Sea
text: Red Sea is a direct translation of the Greek Erythra Thalassa ( Ερυθρὰ Θάλασσα ) , Latin Mare Rubrum ( alternatively Sinus Arabicus , literally `` Arabian Gulf '' ) , Arabic : البحر الأحمر ‎ , translit . Al - Baḥr Al - Aḥmar ( alternatively بحر القلزم Baḥr Al - Qulzum , literally `` the Sea of Clysma '' ) , Somali Badda Cas and Tigrinya Qeyyiḥ bāḥrī ( ቀይሕ ባሕሪ ) . The name of the sea may signify the seasonal blooms of the red - coloured Trichodesmium erythraeum near the water 's surface . A theory favored by some modern scholars is that the name red is referring to the direction south , just as the Black Sea 's name may refer to north . The basis of this theory is that some Asiatic languages used color words to refer to the cardinal directions . Herodotus on one occasion uses Red Sea and Southern Sea interchangeably . 

Answer: answer: The name Red Sea may signify the seasonal blooms of the red colored Trichodesmium erythraeum near the water's surface. A theory favored by some modern scholars is that the name red is referring to the direction south, just as the Black Sea's name may refer to north.