Awareness Ribbons Guide: Colors and Meanings

You know what an awareness ribbon is, but do you know how many exist, or what the different colors and patterns represent? New awareness ribbons are created regularly, and the causes they represent now number in the hundreds. If you'd like to support a cause by wearing an awareness ribbon, this guide can help.

Below, we outline a brief history of awareness ribbons and different ways to show support, then break them down by color category with the causes each one represents. New movements continue to add awareness ribbons, but we've done our best to capture a comprehensive list. 

History of Awareness Ribbons

The history of awareness ribbons isn't entirely clear, though they likely stem from a practice in medieval times when women gave jousting knights tokens of their affection and esteem. Some believe ribbons first rose to prominence in the United States during the Civil War, when women supposedly wore yellow ribbons to symbolize loved ones fighting on the battlefield, though there's little historical evidence to support this specific claim.

The first well-documented use of a yellow ribbon in the U.S. came in late 1979, when Penne Laingen tied a yellow ribbon around a tree outside her home in honor of her husband, Bruce Laingen, the top-ranking U.S. diplomat in Iran, who had been taken hostage when Iranian revolutionaries seized the American embassy in Tehran. She was inspired by the song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree."

Laingen and his fellow hostages were released in January 1981, but awareness ribbons were here to stay. Yellow ribbons have since come to broadly symbolize support for soldiers fighting abroad in the U.S., though they carry different meanings elsewhere. In the U.K., for example, yellow ribbons are typically used to raise awareness for missing persons, while in Hong Kong they symbolize the pro-democracy protest movement. Today, more than 100 causes are associated with awareness ribbons across a wide range of colors.

Yellow: Adenosarcoma, Adoptive Parents, Amber Alert, Bladder Cancer, Canadian Cancer Society, Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, Complementary/Alternative Medicine, Endometriosis, Equality, Ewing's Sarcoma, Gulf War, Hydrocephalus, Liver Cancer, Liver Disease, Missing Children, Myxoid Liposarcoma, Osteosarcoma, Obesity, POW/MIA, Remembrance, Sarcoma, Spina Bifida, Suicide Awareness, Troop or Military Support

Blue

Blue: Alopecia, Anal Cancer (alternate), Ankylosing Spondylitis, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Anti-Bullying, Apraxia, Arthritis, Brachial Plexus Injuries, Child Abuse, Children's Healthy Weight, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Colitis, Colon Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Crime Victims' Rights, Crohn's Disease, Cri du Chat Syndrome, Drowning Awareness, Dysautonomia, Dystonia, Drunk Driving, Education, Epstein-Barr Virus, Erb's Palsy, Familial Polyposis, Free Speech, Foster Care Awareness, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Hydrocephalus (U.S.), Huntington's Disease, Hurricanes, Histiocytosis, Ichthyosis, Interstitial Cystitis, Juvenile Dermatomyositis, Juvenile Arthritis, Krabbe Disease, Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis, Leukodystrophies, ME/CFIDS, Myositis, Police Lost in Line of Duty, Prevent School Violence, Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), Pompe Disease (also denim blue), Restless Legs Syndrome, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, Teens Against Smoking, Transverse Myelitis, Usher Syndrome, Victims' Rights, Victims of Hurricane Katrina, Save the Music, Water Accidents, Water Quality, Water Safety, West Nile Virus

Light Blue: Addison's Disease, Behçet's Disease, Chronic Illness, Cushing Syndrome, DiGeorge Sequence, Graves' Disease, Hyperaldosteronism, Hydrocephalus, Klinefelter Syndrome, Lymphedema, Men's Health, Pro-Choice, Prostate Cancer, Scleroderma, Shprintzen Syndrome, Spay or Neuter Pets, Thyroid Disease, Trisomy 18, Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome

Navy Blue: Alopecia, ARDS, Arthritis, Child Abuse, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Colitis, Colon Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Crime Victims' Rights, Crohn's Disease, Drowning, Education, Epstein-Barr Virus, Erb's Palsy, Free Speech, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Huntington's Disease, Hurricane Katrina, Death of a Police Officer on Duty, Mastocytosis, Rectal Cancer, Restless Legs Syndrome, Teens Against Smoking, Victims' Rights, Water Accidents, Water Quality, Water Safety

Pale Blue: Achalasia

Periwinkle: Acid Reflux, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Eating Disorders, Eosinophilic Disorders, Esophageal Cancer, Gastric Cancer, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Pulmonary Hypertension, Small Intestine Cancer, Stomach Cancer

Robin's Egg Blue: Pierre Robin Syndrome

Royal Blue: Child Abuse Awareness, Transverse Myelitis, Syringomyelia

Teal: Agoraphobia, Anxiety Disorder, Batten Disease, Cervical Cancer, Chiari Malformation, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Ectodermal Dysplasia, Food Allergies, Fragile X Syndrome, Hoarding, Marker X Syndrome, Martin-Bell Syndrome, Myasthenia Gravis, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Ovarian Cancer, Panic Disorder, Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Rape and Sexual Assault Awareness, Substance Abuse, Tourette Syndrome, Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN), Tsunami Victims, Uterine Cancer, Vulvar Cancer

Turquoise: Addiction Recovery, Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), Interstitial Cystitis, Native American Reparation, Renal Cell Carcinoma

Orange

Orange: Agent Orange, Cultural Diversity, Hunger, Leukemia, Lupus, Melanoma, Kidney Cancer (Renal Cell Carcinoma), Motorcycle Safety, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Racial Tolerance, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome, Self-Injury, Sensory Processing Disorder, Spinal Cancer, Prader-Willi Syndrome

Green

Green: Adrenal Cancer, Bipolar Disorder, Bone Marrow Donation, Bronchiolitis Obliterans (BOS), Cerebral Palsy, Childhood Depression, Dwarfism Awareness, Depression, Environment, Eye Injury Prevention, Fanconi Syndrome, Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva, Freedom, Gastroparesis, Glaucoma, Growth and Rebuilding, Kidney Cancer and Disease, Kidney Donation, Leukemia, Literacy, Living Organ Donation, Manic Depression, Mental Health, Mental Illness (Bipolar), Intellectual Disability, Missing Children, Mitochondrial Disease, Nephrotic Syndrome, Neural Tube Defects, Neurofibromatosis, Organ Donation, Organ Transplant, Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, Prune Belly Syndrome, Safe Driving, Pedestrian Safety, Save Darfur, Spinal Cord Injury and Research, Stem Cell Donor and Research, Tissue Donation, Traumatic Brain Injury, Von Hippel-Lindau Disease, Worker Safety

Jade: Hepatitis B, Liver Cancer

Light Green: Celiac Disease, Chronic Pelvic Pain, Human Papillomavirus, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)

Lime Green: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Gastroschisis, Lyme Disease, Lymphoma, Muscular Dystrophy, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Sandhoff Disease, Spinal Cord Injuries

Mint Green: Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease, Congenital Hepatic Fibrosis, Genetic Disorders, Ivemark Syndrome

Purple

Lavender: Cancer (unspecified), Caregiver Appreciation, Epilepsy, Foster Care, Gynecological Cancer, Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis, Infantile Spasms, Rett Syndrome

Orchid: Testicular Cancer

Purple: ADD, ADHD, Alzheimer's Disease, Animal Abuse, Anti-Violence, Chiari Malformation, Chronic Pain, Colitis, Crohn's Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Domestic Violence, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Fibromyalgia in Men, GI Cancer (Intestinal), Harmony, Homelessness, Leiomyosarcoma, Lupus, Macular Degeneration, Mesh Survivor, Migraines (alternate: burgundy), Mucolipidosis, Neuropathy Awareness, No Unattended Kids in Cars, Pancreatic Cancer, Chronic Pancreatitis, Religious Tolerance, Rett Syndrome, Sarcoidosis, Sjögren's Syndrome, Thymoma Cancer, Thyroid Cancer, Victims of 9/11

Violet: Hodgkin's Disease, Testicular Cancer

Neutrals

Black: Accidents, Amish Support, Anti-Terrorism, Gang Prevention, Gun Control, Melanoma, Mourning, Narcolepsy, POW/MIA, Primary Biliary Cirrhosis, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Disorders, Students for Gun Control, Trauma

Brown: Anti-Tobacco, Colon Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Familial Polyposis, Tobacco Awareness

Copper: Herpes Simplex Virus

Cream: Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD), Paralysis, Spinal Cord Injuries, Spinal Disorders, Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Gold: Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, Childhood Cancer, COPD, Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma, Neuroblastoma, Osteosarcoma

Grey: Allergies, Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, Aphasia, Asthma, Brain Cancer, Brain Tumors, Diabetes, Borderline Personality Disorder

Pearl: Emphysema, Lung Cancer, Lung Disease, Mesothelioma, Multiple Sclerosis, Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia

Silver: Brain Disabilities, Brain Disorders, Campaign for the Brain, Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT), Disabled Children, Dyslexia, Elder Abuse, Encephalitis, Niemann-Pick Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Schizophrenia, Sciatic Pain, VACTERL Association, Young Onset Parkinson's

White: Adoptee and Adoption Support, Anti-Child Pornography, Anti-Pornography, Anti-War, Blindness, Bone Cancer, Bone Disease, Child Exploitation, Child Sexual Abuse/Assault, Community Support, Congenital Cataracts, Elder Affairs, Hernia, Holocaust Remembrance, Hope and Support, Innocence, Multiple Hereditary Exostoses, Molestation Survivor, Online Sexual Predator Awareness and Internet Safety, Osteoporosis, Peace, Postpartum Depression, Retinoblastoma, Right to Life, Safe Motherhood, Salvation Army, Scoliosis, Stalking, Student Sexual Abuse, Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Victims of Terrorism

Color Combinations

Black and Blue: Loss of a Brother or Male Child

Black and Pink: Loss of a Sister or Female Child

Black and Red: Murder Victims, Murdered Children, Loss of a Firefighter on Duty

Black and White: Anti-Racism, Carcinoid Cancer, Diversity, Gifted Education, Transitions, Vaccine Awareness

Blue and Green: Anal Cancer, Pseudotumor Cerebri (Intracranial Hypertension)

Blue and Purple: Pediatric Stroke, Rheumatoid Arthritis

Blue and Red: Congenital Heart Defects and Disease, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Osler-Weber-Rendu Syndrome (HHT), Noonan Syndrome, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Rare Lung Diseases, Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome (SADS)

Blue and Yellow: Designated Drivers, Down Syndrome, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Burgundy and Ivory: Oral, Head, and Neck Cancers, including Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Throat Cancer, Laryngeal Cancer, and Pharyngeal Cancer

Burgundy and Purple: Arachnoiditis

Dark Blue, Orange, and Orchid: Psoriatic Arthritis

Gold and Silver: Hearing Disorders and Impairments, Ménière's Disease, Tinnitus

Light Green, Light Blue, and Pink: Hypotonia

Marigold, Blue, and Purple: Bladder Cancer

Orange and White: Bicycle Safety, Bike Helmet Safety

Orchid and Orange: Eczema, Psoriasis

Periwinkle and White: Esophageal Atresia/Tracheoesophageal Fistula (EA/TEF)

Pink and Blue: Amniotic Fluid Embolism, Baby Safe Haven, Birth Defects, Male Breast Cancer, Hyperemesis Gravidarum, Hyperammonemia, Infant Loss, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pregnancy Loss, Premature Birth, Stillbirth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, Turner Syndrome, Childhood Interstitial Lung Disease (chILD)

Pink, Purple, and Teal: Thyroid Cancer

Purple and Black: Tracheostomy, Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Purple and Green: Stickler Syndrome, Schizencephaly

Purple, Teal, and Green: Medullary Sponge Kidney

Purple and Yellow: Autoimmune Hepatitis, Chemical Injury and Lupus, Endometriosis

Red and Gold: Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia (NAIT) Awareness

Red and Orange: Adiposis Dolorosa (Dercum's Disease)

Red and Pearl: Latex Allergy

Red and White: Aplastic Anemia, DVT, Head and Neck Cancer, Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia, Oral Cancer, Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Red, White, and Black: Pernicious Anemia and B12 Deficiency

Red and Yellow: Hepatitis C, HIV/HCV Co-Infection, Surviving Family Members of Suicide Loss

Red, Yellow, and Blue: All Forms of Trisomy

Silver and Blue: Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum

Teal and Purple: Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault

Teal and White: Cervical Cancer

Patterns

Cow Print: Omphalocele

Beige with Giraffe Print: Tethered Spinal Cord Syndrome

Beige with Royal Blue Trim: Hip Dysplasia

Black and White Stripes: Breast Implant Illness

Blue, Pink, and Yellow with Clouds: Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

Brown with Pink Dots: Persistent Cloaca

Gold and Blue with Diamond: Bohring-Opitz Syndrome

Grey with Red Heart: Juvenile Diabetes

Ivory with Rose: Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Light Green with Dark Blue Trim: Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB)

Multi-Colored Flame: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Orange with Fox Tail: FOXG1 Syndrome

Purple and Teal with White Stars: Necrotizing Fasciitis

Purple and White Stripe: Relapsing Polychondritis

Puzzle: Autism and Asperger Syndrome

Quilt Design: Dissociative Identity Disorder

Rainbow: Adrenocortical Carcinoma, Gay Pride, Same-Sex Marriage

Red with White Border: Chronic Venous Insufficiency Awareness

Royal Blue with Yellow Border: Mandibulofacial Dysostosis with Microcephaly

USA Flag: National Support, Fireworks Safety, Flag Awareness, World Trade Center Victims and Heroes

White with Blue Outline: Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy

White and Red Polka Dots: Autoimmune Progesterone Dermatitis

White with Navy Pinstripe: ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease)

White with Violet Polka Dots: Cold Urticaria

Yellow and Multicolored: Gilbert's Syndrome

Zebra Stripe: Carcinoid and Neuroendocrine Tumors, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Endocrine Cancer, Primary Immunodeficiency, Rare Disease Awareness, Stiff Person Syndrome, Vaccine Awareness

Zebra Stripes with Red: Hashimoto's Encephalitis

Awareness ribbons can be confusing to navigate, but this guide compiles everything you need to know in one place. It's never too late to begin raising awareness for a cause or disease, and wearing a ribbon is an easy place to start.