Who discovered lithium and how was the element named?

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A color-coded periodic table of the elements displays each element's symbol and atomic number, with categories such as alkali metals, noble gases, halogens, transition metals, and actinoid elements distinguished by different background colors. — alkali metal Modern version of the periodic table of the elements (printable).

The Swedish chemist Johan August Arfwedson discovered lithium in 1817 while working in the laboratory of J.J. Berzelius.1

The element was named by Berzelius, who derived the name from the Greek word lithos, meaning "stone". This name was chosen to highlight that, unlike sodium and potassium—which were first discovered in organic substances—lithium was discovered in the mineral kingdom. Berzelius initially named the alkali component Lithion, and subsequently named its metallic radical Lithium.1