Why Is It Called the Golden Gate?

The bridge is named after the Golden Gate, the strait it crosses at the mouth of San Francisco Bay. John C. Frémont gave the strait that name in 1846, from the Greek Chrysopylae, after the Golden Horn of Constantinople. The bridge is not gold and was never meant to be: it is painted International Orange, a colour chosen by consulting architect Irving Morrow.

Named afterThe strait

Named byJohn C. Frémont, 1846

From the GreekChrysopylae

AfterThe Golden Horn

Paint colourInternational Orange

Chosen byIrving Morrow

The strait came first

Frémont named the strait almost a century before the bridge existed, when the gap between the headlands was the way ships entered the bay. He borrowed the idea from the Golden Horn, the harbour of Constantinople, and wrote it in Greek as Chrysopylae. When the bridge was built across the strait in the 1930s it took the strait’s name, the way the Bay Bridge took the bay’s. The history page covers the build.

The colour is orange

Irving Morrow, the consulting architect, chose International Orange for the steel. People arrive expecting gold and are surprised; the paint is closer to a red-orange, and it looks different at each hour of the day. The best place to judge it is from beneath, on the bay cruise, where the underside of the deck is the same colour as the towers. The facts page has the rest of the numbers.

Local tip

Say “the Golden Gate” to a local and they may mean the strait, the bridge or the park. Ask which. All three are in this guide and only one of them is orange.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Golden Gate Bridge gold?

No. It is painted International Orange. The name belongs to the strait beneath it. See the facts page for the colour and figures.

What is the Golden Gate?

The strait between the Marin Headlands and San Francisco, the entrance to the bay. The water there is about 372 feet deep; see how deep the water is.

Is Golden Gate Park named after the bridge?

No; both are named after the strait, and the park is three miles south of the bridge. The park-vs-bridge page keeps them apart.