Titanium is a metal widely used in prosthetics, in the aerospace industry and in the production of pigments. Its name is reminiscent of the mythological Titans. Certainly, it is a "powerful" metal, so it is natural that it takes the name of some powerful gods ... or perhaps the origin of the name is a little more complicated?
Rutile is a mineral formed by tetragonal titanium dioxide. The German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth called the metal of this oxide titanium. The question is this: why did he call it that? There are two explanations:
It seems clear that the word 'titanium' comes from Τιτάν (Greek for 'Titan'). The Titans were very powerful gods in Greek mythology. Titanium is a light metal, with excellent mechanical properties and surprising capabilities (such as superplasticity). The name relates the "mighty" titanium to the mighty Titans.
"Titanium" comes from the Greek word τιτανος ('white earth'). It seems to make sense: a fine white powder is extracted from rutile and other crystallographic forms of titanium dioxide.
Which of the two explanations is correct? The first comes so naturally that it's tempting to think it's the good one. The second is such an effective reality check that it is also tempting to think that it is the good one. Neither is entirely correct, but the first is closer to reality. Titanium gets its name from the Titans, not because of the metal's own "powerful" status, but because the name seemed meaningless. Indeed, Martin Heinrigh Klaproth explained it this way:
When a name cannot be found for a new fossil, its properties and characteristics (in which situation I am at the moment), I think it is better to choose a denomination that does not mean anything and therefore cannot give rise to misconceptions. As a consequence of this, as I did in the case of uranium, I will take the name for this metallic substance from mythology and in particular from the Titans, the first children of the Earth.
The above translation is not from the original text, but from its English translation (titled Analytical Essays Towards Promoting the Chemical Knowledge of Mineral Substances).