JavaScript Node nodeName Property

What Is nodeName?

node.nodeName returns a string naming the current node (MDN). For elements it matches tagName; for text and comments it uses fixed labels like #text and #comment.

node.nodeName  → string name of the node

HTML element  → usually UPPERCASE ("DIV")
XML / SVG     → usually lowercase ("circle")
Text          → "#text"
Comment       → "#comment"
Document      → "#document"

Read-only — do not assign to nodeName
Elements: nodeName === tagName

How to Use nodeName

Select a node, read its name, and compare against known strings.

1. Get a DOM node (element, text, comment, …).
2. Read node.nodeName.
3. Compare with strings like "DIV", "#text", or "#comment".
4. Remember HTML tags are usually uppercase.

Pseudocode

name = node.nodeName

if name is "#text":
  // text or whitespace node
else if name is "#comment":
  // HTML comment
else if name is "#document":
  // the document itself
else:
  // usually an element tag ("DIV", "SPAN", "circle", …)

// walk children and list names (MDN-style):
node = parent.firstChild
while node:
  print(node.nodeName)
  node = node.nextSibling

Cheat Sheet

Keep these name values handy while inspecting the DOM.

Live Preview

Pick a node from the demo tree and read its nodeName.

Choose a target, then Run…

JavaScript Examples

Short, copy-ready snippets based on MDN Node.nodeName. Use Try It Yourself for a live editor.

const d1 = document.getElementById("d1");
console.log(d1.nodeName); // "DIV"

DIV

const p = document.getElementById("para");
console.log(p.firstChild.nodeName); // "#text" (pretty-printed HTML)

#text

const wrap = document.getElementById("wrap");
const comment = wrap.firstChild; // <!-- Example of comment -->
console.log(comment.nodeName); // "#comment"

#comment

const el = document.getElementById("d1");
console.log(el.nodeName); // "DIV"
console.log(el.tagName);  // "DIV"

const text = el.firstChild;
console.log(text.nodeName); // "#text"
// text.tagName → undefined (Element-only)

DIV
DIV
#text

let node = document.getElementById("sample").firstChild;
let result = "Node names are:\n";

while (node) {
  result += `${node.nodeName}\n`;
  node = node.nextSibling;
}

console.log(result);

Node names are:
#text
DIV
#text
#comment
#text
SPAN
#text

Performance Notes

Reading nodeName is cheap. For tight filters, nodeType (number compare) can be slightly clearer than string compares. Prefer children / firstElementChild when you only care about elements.

Key Takeaways