Ampersand Symbol & — Meaning, History & How to Type It

The ampersand (&) is one of the oldest symbols still in common use — a typographic shorthand for "and" that has survived for nearly 2,000 years. It's on every keyboard, used in business names, programming code, and graphic design. Here's everything about it.

What Is the Ampersand?

The ampersand is the symbol & — a logogram that represents the word "and." It's pronounced "am-per-sand" and has been in use since ancient Rome. Despite living in the shadow of alphabetic letters, it has its own storied history and remains one of the most versatile punctuation marks in typography.

Origin and History of the Ampersand

The ampersand evolved from the Latin word et, meaning "and." Roman scribes in the 1st century AD would write "et" in a way that the letters eventually merged into a single ligature — a shape combining E and T.

Over centuries, as handwriting styles evolved, the ligature became more and more abstract until it resembled the & we recognize today. By the Middle Ages, it appeared in manuscripts throughout Europe as a standard abbreviation for "and."

The name "ampersand" comes from the old way English schoolchildren recited the alphabet. After Z, they would say "and per se and" — meaning "& by itself means and" — which over time merged into "ampersand."

The Ampersand Was Once the 27th Letter

For most of the 19th century, & was considered the 27th letter of the English alphabet. Children recited it at the end of their ABCs: "...X, Y, Z, and per se and." This is the source of its name and shows how embedded it was in written English before it was reclassified as punctuation.

How to Type the Ampersand

When to Use & vs "And"

Knowing when to write & versus spelling out "and" is an important writing skill:

Use & when:

• It's part of a proper name or brand: AT&T, Marks & Spencer, Procter & Gamble
• Space is limited: headlines, captions, UI elements, form labels
• In informal writing where brevity is valued: text messages, social media
• In lists when the relationship is tight: salt & pepper, bread & butter

Use "and" when:

• In formal writing: essays, academic papers, legal documents
• In the middle of a sentence where clarity matters
• When style guides (AP, Chicago, MLA) require it
• In spoken language that's being transcribed

Ampersand in Business Names

The ampersand is a favorite in business naming because it's visually distinctive and implies a partnership. Famous examples include:

• Barnes & Noble
• Dolce & Gabbana
• Hewlett-Packard (originally Hewlett & Packard)
• Johnson & Johnson
• Simon & Schuster
• AT&T

In these contexts, the & suggests a formal partnership, often between founders.

Ampersand in Programming and Code

The & character has several critical uses in programming:

• HTML: & starts HTML entities — & renders as &, < renders as <
• URLs: & separates query parameters — ?name=John&age=30
• C/C++: & is the address-of operator and bitwise AND
• Python/JavaScript: && is the logical AND operator
• SQL: && or AND for conditions in WHERE clauses
• Shell: & runs a command in the background; && means "run next only if this succeeded"

Decorative and Stylistic Ampersands

Different fonts render the ampersand very differently, making it a favorite character for typography enthusiasts. The Caslon, Garamond, and Baskerville typefaces all have beautifully ornate ampersands. Calligraphy and lettering artists often feature the & as a standalone decorative piece.

Copy decorative ampersand variations:

Fun Facts About the Ampersand

• The & sign has hundreds of unique visual forms across different typefaces
• It is one of only a few logograms in standard English writing
• In medieval manuscripts, & was sometimes used for "et cetera" before "etc." became standard
• The Trebuchet MS typeface has one of the most distinctive and recognizable ampersands
• Graphic designers sometimes call the & "epershand" in some regions

Quick Reference

The Tironian et ⁊ is actually the oldest ancestor of the ampersand — a shorthand mark developed by Cicero's secretary Tiro in ancient Rome for transcribing speeches quickly.