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CSS fonts should be based on a generic font family to ensure an appropriate style font is rendered in any circumstances. Preferred font names should be declared in order of preference in a comma separated font family list tailored for specific platforms.

CSS font family: serif

Serif fonts tend to have a relatively narrow, upright shape with distinctive serifs across the end of the letter strokes. Serif font faces are generally considered to have a classic, formal, businesslike font style that is reliable for the Web. Use the CSS font family name serif.

The most common serif fonts

The only serif fonts common to all systems are the ubiquitous Times New Roman and Georgia, although its frequency on Unix family operating systems is quite low. The original Times font on which Times New Roman is based is common to Mac and Unix family systems.

Palatino is found on Mac and to a lesser extent Unix systems and is the inspiration for Book Antiqua, which is quite common on Windows. Garamond is available on Windows and Mac systems, but is not very common on either.

As their names suggest, New Century Schoolbook for Mac, Century Schoolbook for Windows and Century Schoolbook L for Unix family systems have a common style. Also, Bookman for Mac, Bookman Old Style for Windows and URW Bookman L have a common heritage.

Most common serif fonts on Windows systems to 20 June 2009
Font name Installed (%) Sample Image
Palatino Linotype 97.82% 97.82% Text Image
Georgia 95.88% 95.88% Text Image
Sylfaen 95.49% 95.49% Text Image
Times New Roman 92.82% 92.82% Text Image
Book Antiqua 85.22% 85.22% Text Image
Bookman Old Style 85.09% 85.09% Text Image
Garamond 82.49% 82.49% Text Image
Perpetua 59.65% 59.65% Text Image
Rockwell 57.89% 57.89% Text Image
Calisto MT 52.44% 52.44% Text Image
Goudy Old Style 50.83% 50.83% Text Image
Century Schoolbook 50.06% 50.06% Text Image
Cambria 49.82% 49.82% Text Image
Rockwell Condensed 49.81% 49.81% Text
Gloucester MT Extra Condensed 49.37% 49.37% Text
Constantia 49.12% 49.12% Text Image
Onyx 47.99% 47.99% Text
Baskerville Old Face 47.93% 47.93% Text
Footlight MT Light 47.18% 47.18% Text Image
Bodoni MT Condensed 47.12% 47.12% Text
Bodoni MT 47.06% 47.06% Text
Bodoni MT Black 47.06% 47.06% Text
Bell MT 46.80% 46.80% Text
Centaur 46.43% 46.43% Text
Californian FB 46.18% 46.18% Text
High Tower Text 46.18% 46.18% Text
Niagara Engraved 45.68% 45.68% Text
Niagara Solid 45.61% 45.61% Text
Lucida Fax 44.61% 44.61% Text
Bodoni MT Poster Compressed 43.48% 43.48% Text
Lucida Bright 25.75% 25.75% Text
Bitstream Vera Serif 22.74% 22.74% Text
University Roman LET 7.19% 7.19% Text
Times 5.01% 5.01% Text
Palatino 4.70% 4.70% Text
New Century Schoolbook 4.39% 4.39% Text
Georgia Ref 4.33% 4.33% Text
MS Reference Serif 4.26% 4.26% Text
Runic MT Condensed 2.55% 2.55% Text
New York 1.75% 1.75% Text
Hoefler Text 1.25% 1.25% Text
Minion Web 0.38% 0.38% Text
Most common serif fonts on Mac systems to 20 June 2009
Font name Installed (%) Sample Image
Georgia 93.82% 93.82% Text Image
Times New Roman 92.23% 92.23% Text Image
Times 90.64% 90.64% Text Image
Hoefler Text 88.25% 88.25% Text Image
Baskerville 87.55% 87.55% Text Image
American Typewriter 87.11% 87.11% Text Image
Didot 86.77% 86.77% Text Image
Big Caslon 82.95% 82.95% Text Image
Palatino 78.88% 78.88% Text Image
Lucida Bright 51.61% 51.61% Text
New York 40.64% 40.64% Text Image
Century Schoolbook 20.74% 20.74% Text
Bookman Old Style 17.97% 17.97% Text
Garamond 17.97% 17.97% Text
Bitstream Vera Serif 17.51% 17.51% Text
Book Antiqua 17.05% 17.05% Text
Goudy Old Style 15.67% 15.67% Text
Footlight MT Light 15.21% 15.21% Text
Calisto MT 13.82% 13.82% Text
Constantia 7.83% 7.83% Text
Cambria 7.37% 7.37% Text
New Century Schoolbook 4.61% 4.61% Text
Bookman 3.23% 3.23% Text Image
Utopia 1.84% 1.84% Text
Caslon 1.38% 1.38% Text
Minion Web 1.38% 1.38% Text
URW Antiqua T 0.46% 0.46% Text
Most common serif fonts on Unix systems to 20 June 2009
Font name Installed (%) Sample Image
Century Schoolbook L 94.02% 94.02% Text Image
URW Bookman L 92.59% 92.59% Text Image
URW Palladio L 91.45% 91.45% Text Image
Bitstream Charter 89.21% 89.21% Text
Nimbus Roman No9 L 86.04% 86.04% Text
Lucida Bright 80.00% 80.00% Text
DejaVu Serif 79.19% 79.19% Text
DejaVu Serif Condensed 78.42% 78.42% Text
Bitstream Vera Serif 73.50% 73.50% Text Image
FreeSerif 68.46% 68.46% Text
Liberation Serif 67.63% 67.63% Text
Times New Roman 60.97% 60.97% Text
Georgia 56.98% 56.98% Text
Utopia 51.28% 51.28% Text Image
MgOpen Canonica 41.73% 41.73% Text
Times 39.32% 39.32% Text
New Century Schoolbook 37.61% 37.61% Text
Luxi Serif 31.93% 31.93% Text Image
Charter 20.80% 20.80% Text
ClearlyU 20.23% 20.23% Text
LucidaBright 15.83% 15.83% Text
Vera Serif 7.91% 7.91% Text
Caslon 5.71% 5.71% Text
Garamond 2.86% 2.86% Text

Web font classification

Other CSS font family resources

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