colón

Colón is a Spanish term that appears in several distinct contexts. It is used as a surname and given name, most famously associated with Cristóbal Colón, the 15th‑century navigator better known in English as Christopher Columbus. The surname Colón is common in Latin America and appears in personal names, institutions, and place names.

Geography and toponyms: Colón is the name of multiple locations in the Spanish-speaking world. The most prominent is Colón, Panama, a port city on the Caribbean coast and the capital of Colón Province. There is also Colón, Argentina, a city in Entre Ríos Province, and Colón is used in the names of various other towns and administrative divisions.

Currency usage: The term colón refers to currencies that honor Columbus. The Costa Rican colón (CRC) is the current currency of Costa Rica. The Salvadoran colón (SVC) was formerly used in El Salvador until the country adopted the United States dollar in 2001. In both cases the name is derived from Cristóbal Colón.

Etymology and context: The name Colón ultimately derives from Cristóbal Colón, the Spanish form of Christopher Columbus, and it is used widely in Spanish-speaking countries for people, places, and historic currencies. The accent on the o in Colón is part of standard Spanish spelling in proper names and currency terms.

Notes: In plain text usage, Colón with the accent is common in proper nouns, while the generic English term “colon” is unrelated to these uses.