The “name” attribute is never allowed on the “div” element.

The name attribute is not a valid attribute for the <div> element.

The name attribute is only allowed on specific HTML elements that have a defined use for it, such as <input>, <form>, <iframe>, <object>, <map>, <select>, <textarea>, and <meta>. On these elements, name serves a purpose: identifying form data sent to a server, targeting frames, or referencing image maps.

The <div> element does not accept name. If the goal is to identify or reference a <div>, use the id attribute instead. The id attribute is a global attribute, valid on any HTML element, and provides a unique identifier for styling with CSS, targeting with JavaScript, or linking with fragment URLs.

If the name attribute was being used as a hook for document.getElementsByName(), switching to id with document.getElementById() (or using a class with document.querySelectorAll()) is the correct approach.

Invalid example

<div name="sidebar">
  <p>Some content</p>
</div>

Valid example

<div id="sidebar">
  <p>Some content</p>
</div>

Learn more:

MDN Reference

HTML div element - MDN

→

MDN Reference

HTML name attribute - MDN

→

WHATWG Spec

HTML semantics - WHATWG

→