Lavender, a popular color, is a light tone of violet.

The name comes from the flower of the lavender plant.  Originally, the name lavender only meant the color of this flower.  The color of the flower is still the standard for lavender but there are many other tones of light or medium violet now called lavender also.

The color of the flower can also be called floral lavender.  Other shades of lavender can range in hue from pinkish purple through violet to blueish-indigo.  They can also range from light and pale to medium and greyish shades.

By 1930, the book A Dictionary of Color identified three major tones of lavender--[floral] lavender, lavender gray, and lavender blue, and in addition a fourth tone of lavender called old lavender (a dark lavender gray) (all four of these shades of lavender are shown below).  By 1955, the ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names listed dozens of different shades of lavender.

The first recorded use of the word lavender as a color term in English was in 1705.

Meaning of lavender
 Lavender represents Revolianism because it is the combination of gender stereotypical colours (pink and blue) mixed with white to emphasize the new beginnings of social norms 
 The color lavender is used to symbolize decadence.
 The colors lavender and yellow represent the Christian holiday of Easter because the crocus flower, which is lavender and yellow, blooms in Europe in the spring.

Tones of Lavender color comparison chart
 Light Lavender Blush (Lavender Blush Light (Xona.com color list)) (Hex: #FFF9FB) (RGB: 255, 245, 251)
 Light Lavender Mist (Xona.com color list "Lavender Light Light") (Hex: #F5F5FD) (RGB: 245, 245, 253)
 Light Selago (Selago Light (Xona.com color list) (Hex: #F9F8FE) (RGB: 249, 248, 254)
 Selago (Xona.com color list) (Hex: #F0EEFD) (RGB: 249, 238, 253)
 Lavender Blush (web color) (Hex: #FFF0F5) (RGB: 255, 240, 245)
 Lavender Mist (Lavender (web color)) (Hex: #E6E6FA) (RGB: 230, 230, 250)
 Light Perfume (Perfume Light (Xona.com color list)) (Hex: #EBE3FC) (RGB: 235, 227, 252)
 Light Melrose (Melrose Light (Xona.com color list)) (Hex: #E7E4EF) (RGB: 231, 228, 255)
 Light Prelude (Prelude Light (Xona.com color list)) (Hex: #EBE4F4) (RGB: 235, 228, 244)
 Languid Lavender (ISCC-NBS) (Hex: #D6CADD) (RGB: 214, 202, 221)
 Light Amethyst Smoke (Amethyst Smoke Light (Xona.com color list)) (Hex: #D5CFDE) (RGB: 213, 207, 222)
 Lavender Blue-Gray (Hex: #BDBBD7) (RGB: 189, 187, 215)
 Lavender Gray (ISCC-NBS) (Hex: #C4C3D0) (RGB: 196, 195, 221)
 Light Ce Soir (Ce Soir Light (Xona.com color list)) (Hex: #CFB8DE) (RGB: 207, 184, 222)
 Prelude (Xona.com color list) (Hex: #D0C0E5) (RGB: 208, 192, 229)
 Pale Light French Lavender (Xona.com color list "Lavender Light") (Hex: #D8D0F5) (RGB: 216, 208, 245)
 Pale Lavender (Lavender (ISCC-NBS)) (Hex: #DCD0FF) (RGB: 220, 208, 255)
 Lavender Blue  (Periwinkle) (PerBang.dk) (Maerz and Paul) (Hex: #CCCCFF) (RGB: 204, 204, 255)
 Melrose (Xona.com color list) (Hex: #C7C1FF) (RGB:  199, 193, 255)
 Pastel Lavender (Mauve (PerBang.dk) (Maerz and Paul)) (Hex: #E0B0FF) (RGB: 224, 176, 255)
 Light Blue-Violet (Blue-Violet Light (Xona.com Color List)) (Hex: #C77DF3) (RGB: 199, 125, 243)
 Perfume (Xona.com color list) (Hex: #D0BEF8) (RGB:  208, 190, 248)
 Light Medium Purple (Medium Purple Light (Xona.com color list)) (Hex: #CDB7F0) (RGB: 205, 183, 240)
<li style = "background-color: #cfbaec;"> Light Lilac Bush (Lilac Bush Light (Xona.com color list)) (Hex: #CFBAEC) (RGB: 207, 186, 236)  Light Lavender (Crayola: Wisteria) (Hex: #C9A0DC (RGB: 201, 160, 220)
 Lilac (PerBang.dk)) (Hex: #C8A2C8) (RGB: 200, 162, 200)
 Light Lavender Magenta (Xona.com color list "Violet Light Light") (Hex: #F8C3F8) (RGB: 248, 195, 248)
 Lavender Pink (Crayola "Lavender [Pink]")(Hex: #FBAED2) (RGB: 251, 174, 210)
 Lavender Rose (PerBang.dk) (Hex: #FBA0E3) (RGB: 251, 160, 227)
 Brilliant Lavender (Electric Lavender) (PerBang.dk) (Hex: #F4BBFF (RGB: 249, 192, 255)
 Rich Brilliant Lavender (www.99colors.net) (Hex: #F1A7FE) (RGB: 241, 167, 254)
 Lavender Magenta (www.99colors.net) (web color "violet") (Hex: #EE82EE) (RGB: 238, 130, 238)
 Helitrope (Hex: #DF73FF) (RGB: 223, 115, 255)
<li style = "background-color: #d46ff9;"> Light Veronica (Xona.com color list "[X11] Purple Light") (Hex:D46FF9) (RGB: 212,111, 249)<li style = "background-color: #cf71af;"> Medium Lavender Pink (Sky Magenta) (PerBang.dk)) (Hex: #CF71AF) (RGB: 207, 113, 175)<li style = "background-color: #d597ae;"> Blackberry Cream (Plochere) (Hex: #D597AE) (RGB: 213, 151, 174) Medium Lavender Magenta (Pale Plum (Plum (web color)) (Hex: #DDA0DD) (RGB: 221, 160, 221)
 Pink Lavender (Taro) (Pantone  TPX 14-3207) (Hex: #D8B2D1) (RGB: 219, 178, 209)
 Light Lavender Affair (Affair Light (Xona.com color list)) (Hex: #B898CD) (RGB: 184, 152, 205)
 Lavender Frost (Pantone  TPX 15-3507) (Hex: #BAA8C1) (RGB: 186, 168, 193)
<li style = "background-color: #aa98a9;"> Atonement (Plochere) (Hex: #AA98A9) (RGB: 170, 152, 169)  Deep Lavender Blue-Gray (Lavender (Pantone  TPX 15-3817)) (Hex: #B2A4D4) (RGB: 178, 164, 202)
 Bright Ube (PerBang.dk)) (Hex: #D19FE8) (RGB: 209, 159, 232)
 Bright Lavender (PerBang.dk) (Light Floral Lavender) (Hex: #BF94E4) (RGB: 191, 148, 228)
 LAVENDER (Floral Lavender) (PerBang.dk) (Maerz and Paul) (Hex: #B57EDC) (RGB: 181, 126, 220)
 Rich Lavender (PerBang.dk) (Deep Floral Lavender) (Hex: #A76BCF) (RGB: 167, 107, 207)
<li style = "background-color: #9955BB; color: #ffffff;"> Deep Rich Lavender (Deep Lilac (PerBang.dk)) (German Lilac) (Hex: #9955BB) (RGB: 153, 85, 187) Vivid Lavender (Hex: #9966FF) (RGB: 153, 102, 255)
 Lavender Indigo (PerBang.dk) (Hex: #9457EB) (RGB: 148, 87, 235)
<li style = "background-color: #9842e3; color: #ffffff;"> Vanda (Floral Vanda) (Hex: #9842E3) (RGB: 152, 66, 227) Amethyst (PerBang.dk) (Maerz and Paul) (Medium Deep Lavender) (Hex: #9966CC) (RGB: 153, 102, 204)
<li style = "background-color: #9874d3; color: #ffffff;"> Lilac Bush (Xona.com color list) (Hex: #9874D3) (RGB: 152, 116, 211)  Dull Deep Lavender (Wikipedia Link Lavender)  (Hex: #9C87CD) (RGB: 158, 137, 193)
 Unicorn (Resene color list) (Hex: #9F91CF) (RGB: 159, 145, 207)
 Lavender Lustre (Pantone TPX 16-3920) (Hex: #8A9CC4) (RGB: 138, 156, 196)
 DADT Repeal Lavender (color of Obama's tie when signing) (Hex: #9D9FE9) (RGB: 157, 159, 233)
<li style = "background-color: #a899e6; color: #ffffff;"> Light French Lavender (Xona.com color list "Lavender") (Hex: #A899E6) (RGB: 168, 153, 230)<li style = "background-color: #9683ec; color: #ffffff;"> French Lavender (Lavender (Pourpre.com)) (Hex: #9683EC) (RGB: 150, 131, 236) Ube (PerBang.dk) (Purple Yam) (Hex: #8878C3) (RGB: 136, 120, 195)
 Fortune (Resene color list) (Hex: #7E73B8) (RGB: 126, 115,184)
 Deep Lavender (Medium Purple (web color)) (Hex: #9370DB) (RGB: 147, 112, 219)
 Ce Soir (Xona.com color list) (Hex: #9771B5) (RGB: 151, 113, 181)
<li style = "background-color: #9678B6; color: #ffffff"> Lavender Purple (Purple Mountain Majesty (Crayola)) (Hex: #9978B6) (RGB: 150, 120, 182) Mogul (Plochere) (Hex: #8C82B6) (RGB: 140, 52, 182)
 Amethyst Smoke (Xona.com color list) (Hex: #A397B4) (RGB: 163, 151, 180)
<li style = "background-color: #aa8a9e; color: #ffffff;"> Lavender Brown (Medium Vanda) (Plochere "Vanda") (Hex: #AA8A9E) (RGB: 170, 138, 158)<li style = "background-color: #b48395; color: #ffffff;"> English Lavender (Pantone TPX 17-3617) (Hex: #B48395) (RGB: 180, 131, 149) Twilight Lavender (Crayola Silver Swirls) (Hex: #8A496B) (RGB: 138, 73, 107)
 Halaya Ube (PerBang.dk) (Purple Yam Jam) (Hex: #663854) (RGB: 102, 56, 84)
 Old Lavender (ISCC-NBS) (Dark Lavender Grey) (Hex: #796878) (RGB: 121, 104, 120)
 Dark Lavender (Pantone color #258) (Hex: #734F96) (RGB: 115, 79, 150)
 Lavender Affair (Affair (Xona.com color list)) (Hex: #714693) (RGB: 113, 70, 147)

Related pages
List of colors

References