It seems like the Regency was the era for colorful names and names for colors. However, many only lasted a season or two. Some colors were dictated by events of the day (battles won, allied countries, etc.). But one of the reasons the Regency era is so fascinating is due to the many descriptive colors, etc.

I am not sure certain whether there were specific color names confined just to the Regency. However, if you would like a list of colors used across the Regency and the longer Georgian eras, accompanied by swatches, you might want to have a look at Sarah Waldock’s post at her blog, Renaissance and Regency Ruminations. If you read my story, you will notice I use both the terms “chestnut” and “Egyptian brown” to describe the veining in the flower pictured above. 

This color list was primarily prepared by Sarah, who also dyes fabrics using old techniques and formulas, augmented by information provided to her by Charles Bazalgette, who recently published a biography of his ancestor, Louis Bazalgette, entitled Prinny’s Taylor. It is important to keep in mind that most of the colors on this list came primarily from colors used for garments and accessories, rather than interior decor. Which is not to say that such colors were not used for such purposes, just that the sources of these color names are based upon garment colors.

 In case you want to know more of the book Prinny’s Taylor: The Life and Times of Louis Bazalgette (1750-1830) ~ The Prince of Wales, later George IV, is probably the most written-about of all British monarchs, and his excesses, his debts and the huge sums that he expended on his wardrobe are legendary. It is therefore strange that the man who was the Prince’s tailor for over thirty-two years, and his principal tailor for over half of that time, should have been named, and then only in passing, in just two other books. 
The reason why Louis Bazalgette has been a shadowy figure until now is that the relationship between the two men was discreet and almost clandestine. This biography presents a detailed picture of an extraordinary man, of humble origins, whose influence on gentlemen’s tailoring, and upon the Prince himself, must have been far-reaching. 
This fascinating story presents a new angle on Georgian and Regency life, as seen through the eyes of a little French tailor who by his own efforts became a very wealthy propertied merchant. There is also a great deal of information on gentlemen’s tailoring of the period, a subject sparsely covered in other publications, and we are regaled in detail with the clothes that were made for Prinny, when and where he wore them and how much they cost. Many of the anecdotes about George are included, but given new meaning because of the fresh information that the author has discovered.
Some of Louis Bazalgette’s descendants also enter the story. His eldest son Joseph William Bazalgette, R.N, served with distinction during the Napoleonic wars, and his grandson of the same name was the noted civil engineer who made such a difference to London. The author is Louis’ great-great-great-great-grandson.
Lovers of the period will be delighted by many previously unpublished items which have been uncovered during over twenty years of painstaking research.

The earliest reference I have found of Navy Blue comes in 1814. (from the Oxford English Dictionary). Forest Green dates to 1810. Navy Blue might have been already in use at the time because the reference refers to a vat of dye. Forest Green was used by a Scot in reference to a color called Lincoln green. Some of the names of colors used in house paint  were very odd. Farrow and Ball used to have a sample card for historic colors like dead salmon and mouseback. We can also discover color names in the descriptions of fashion prints in the magazines. Some color terms date from after the Regency, such as Mauve. Colors and fashion details were also named after events. A fashion color was stone. I wondered it there was a difference between stone and Bath stone, field stone, or flagstone. Fruits and flowers were names often used. Navy blue was the color of the British naval uniform. Navy bean attested from 1856, so called because they were grown to be used by the Navy. (From etymonline.com) But it does not say when they began using the term as a color rather than a noun. I have seen “cerulean blue,” “Pomona green,” and “primrose yellow,” to name a few.

There were common Regency/Georgian terms for various hues within each color. Someone on the Beau Monde loop (sorry, I cannot discover who provided this list) tells us about “greens.” 

Greens, for instance, were:

Bottle green

Bronze Green

Corbeau coloured

Emerald green

Olive (green)

Parrot green

Pomona green

Rifle green

Saxon green

Spring (green)

This table reads as: the title of the color, the year the term was first used, the modern color description/name as per the British Color Council,

Aurora, 1809. Chilli.

Aurora, 1829.  Shell-Pink.

Eminence, 1829.  Crushed Strawberry.

Japanese Rose, 1826.  Crushed Strawberry.

Marsh Mallow, 1829. Crocus or Old Rose.

Morone, 1811. Peony Red.

Naccarat, 1800. Tangerine.

Terre D’Egypt, 1824. Brick Red.

In the Regency period, there certainly are more colors for white/cream/shades thereof than for red/pink/orange.

  You might consider an investment in C. Willett Cunningham’s, English Women’s Clothing in the Ninetheeth Century: A Comprehensive Guide with 1,117 Illustrations. At 576 pages, it is well worth the nearly $20 cost, for it has information on hair styles, hats, prices on yardage, undergarments, etc. 

Book Blurb: