What do you call the ‘@’ symbol? Although some people mistakenly call it an ampersand (which is actually the ‘&’ symbol), it may surprise you to know it doesn’t actually have a name. For something we use so frequently — it has to be one of the most often-used non-punctuation symbols in the modern world — it’s amazing that we haven’t come up with a slicker name than “the ‘at’ symbol.”

While designing a user signup screen, a buddy of mine at work asked that very question: what’s the actual name for the @ symbol? We were shocked to realize that none of us knew. A quick Google search turned up some interesting speculation on the symbol’s history; for one thing, there are a disproportionate number of cultures whose nickname for it is animal-related (e.g., the “hanging monkey”). That must mean something…but what, nobody seems to know.

Another theory is that it was developed by medieval monks as a shorthand to writing the word “at”, since it saved them two pen strokes when transcribing books. Man, and I thought modern technology made people lazy.

Finally, my personal favorite is the historical use of the @ symbol as an abbreviation for a unit of measurement, the amphora. It first appeared in a letter written by a Florentine trader in 1536. The amphora described the amount held by large terra cotta jar that were used to transport grain, spices, wine, and probably a whole host of other goodies.

Since the latter story is a much better-sounding explanation than a bunch of slacker monks, and the word “amphora” is just kind of cool by itself, we hereby declare that the @ symbol’s official name shall be “amphora.” Just in case we actually have any power to declare such things. Which we don’t. But hey, this is the Internet…weirder things have happened.

Read: What do you call the @ symbol used in email addresses?