The At symbol (@) is one of the most widely recognized symbols in the digital world. Originally used in accounting and commerce to mean “at the rate of,” it became globally popular with the rise of email and social media. Today, the @ symbol is used for email addresses, social media tagging, coding, and various keyboard shortcuts.
@
Ⓐ
＠
𝒜
∂
Ʌ
List of At Symbols and Variants
Basic At Symbol
- @ – Standard At Symbol (U+0040)
Decorative & Fancy At Symbols
- Ⓐ – Circled A (Alternative for aesthetic usernames)
- ＠ – Full-width At Symbol (Used in East Asian typography)
- 𝒜 – Script A (Used in artistic text styling)
Mathematical & Programming Variants
- ∂ – Partial Derivative (Similar appearance but different usage in calculus)
- Ʌ – Latin Letter Turned V (Can sometimes be used stylistically instead of @)
How to Use At Symbols (@)?
- Email Addresses
- The @ symbol is essential for email addresses, separating the username from the domain (e.g., name@cpsymbol.com).
- Social Media & Tagging
- On platforms like Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, the @ symbol is used for mentions and tagging users.
- Example: “@username, check this out!”
- Coding & Programming
- In Python, JavaScript, and other languages, @ is used for decorators and annotations.
- In SQL, @ is used for variables and stored procedures.
- In Markdown, @ is often used for mentions in documentation tools.
- Marketing & Branding
- Many companies incorporate the @ symbol in their branding and social media handles.
- Aesthetic & Decorative Uses
- People use fancy @ symbols in usernames, bios, and artistic text styles for a unique look.
History of the At Symbol (@)
- The @ symbol dates back to the 16th century, where it was used in commercial documents to mean “at the rate of.”
- In 1971, Ray Tomlinson, a computer programmer, introduced the @ symbol in email addresses, making it a global digital standard.
- The @ symbol is now widely used in social media, email, and coding.