error.name

The name property represents a name for the type of error. The initial value is "Error".

Description

By default, Error instances are given the name "Error". The name property, in addition to the message property, is used by the Error.prototype.toString() method to create a string representation of the error.

Examples

Throwing a custom error

var e = new Error('Malformed input'); // e.name is 'Error'

e.name = 'ParseError';
throw e;
// e.toString() would return 'ParseError: Malformed input'

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
ECMAScript 1st Edition (ECMA-262)	Standard	Initial definition.
ECMAScript 5.1 (ECMA-262) The definition of 'Error.prototype.name' in that specification.	Standard
ECMAScript 2015 (6th Edition, ECMA-262) The definition of 'Error.prototype.name' in that specification.	Standard
ECMAScript 2017 Draft (ECMA-262) The definition of 'Error.prototype.name' in that specification.	Draft

Browser compatibility

See also

• Error.prototype.message
• Error.prototype.toString()