The currency used by Ethereum is called ether and is identified by the ticker ETH on exchanges. To pay for computation performed by the Ethereum Virtual Machine, ether is used. Not unlike other fiat or cryptocurrencies, there are denominations, or units of varying size, that use specific names as shorthand.
Ether’s units uses a metric system with the smallest unit being referred to as Wei. One Wei is one quintillion ether. Each of Ethereum’s named denominational units are are listed below in terms of Wei. To convert between ether denominations try our Ethereum Unit Converter.
Ether Denominations
| Unit | Value in Wei |
|---|---|
| wei | 1 Wei |
| Kwei (babbage) | 1,000 Wei |
| Mwei (lovelace) | 1,000,000 Wei |
| Gwei (shannon) | 1,000,000,000 Wei |
| microether (szabo) | 1,000,000,000,000 Wei |
| milliether (finney) | 1,000,000,000,000,000 Wei |
| ether | 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 Wei |
Origin of Ether Unit Names and Nicknames
The names and nicknames used in ether denominations highlight key figures along the path to cryptocurrency as we know it today. You can learn more about each by following the links below:
- Wei Dai – Wei Dai was a cypherpunk who is best known for creating b-money.
- Charles Babbage – Charles Babbage is credited with creating the first computer. His mechanical computer, or difference engine as he called it, laid the foundation for the computers we use today.
- Ada Lovelace – Ada Lovelace worked with Babbage on the analytical engine, a proposed general computing successor to the difference engine.
- Claude Shannon – Claude Shannon was a pioneering mathematician, electrical engineer, and cryptographer who was known for his contributions to codebreaking during the second World War.
- Nick Szabo – Nick Szabo was a cyperpunk who proposed “bit gold” and contributed (amongst other things) the concept of smart contracts to cryptocurrency.
- Hal Finney – Hal Finney worked on the original bitcoin code and received the first bitcoin transaction from Satoshi Nakamoto.
