The Human Skeleton: Names & Functions of Every Bone

An adult human has 206 bones in their skeleton—that’s a lot to remember! Thankfully, many bones come in pairs, and memorizing the names of your bones is easier when you imagine them by group or area. In this article, we’re reviewing the names and functions of every major bone in your body, from your skull to your toes. We’ll also share some fun facts about your skeleton that you may not have heard before!

Skeleton Bones with Names: Visual Guide

An adult human skeleton has 206 bones. The skeleton is divided into 2 systems: your core or axial skeleton (skull, vertebrae, spine, thoracic cage, ear bones) and appendicular skeleton (legs, arms, pelvis, clavicles, scapulas). Your bones give your body shape, assist with movement, and protect your internal organs.

Section 1 of 7:

Head & Facial Bones

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1
Your skull and face are made of 21 bones that have fused together, plus your jaw bone. When you’re born, the many bones of your head and face aren’t fully fused together yet (this is what allows babies to fit through the birth canal and gives their brain space to grow). As you age, these bones fuse together into one solid piece to protect your brain.^{[1]
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Go to source} The only mobile bone in your entire head is your lower jaw bone, or mandible.^{[2]
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- The bones in your head (cranial bones) include the parietal (2), temporal (2), frontal (1), occipital (1), ethmoid (1), and sphenoid (1) bones.
- Your facial bones include the maxilla (2), zygomatic (2), nasal (2) platine (2) inferior nasal concha (2) lacrimal (2), and vomer (1) bones.
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Your ears contain 3 tiny bones called ossicles. These ossicle bones are named the malleus (hammer), incus (anvil), and stapes (stirrup). These are the smallest bones in your body and form a chain that transfers sound waves and vibrations from your eardrum to your cochlea, allowing you to hear.^{[3]
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Section 2 of 7:

Neck & Spinal Bones

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1
Your neck consists of the top 7 vertebrae (your cervical spine) and hyoid bone. These are the vertebrae that make up your neck, and they serve to support your head, protect your spinal cord, and give you a wide range of motion. These bones are labeled C1 to C7.^{[4]
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Go to source} Your neck also contains your hyoid bone, a horseshoe-shaped bone in the front of your neck between your chin and thyroid. It is not connected to any other bone, and it assists with swallowing and speech.^{[5]
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- C1 (the very top vertebrae) is also known as the atlas bone, named after the Greek mythological figure who holds the world on his shoulders.
- C2 (just underneath the atlas bone) is also called the axis bone since it allows the atlas to pivot against it (this lets you shake your head “no”).
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Your thoracic and lumbar spine, sacrum, and coccyx make up the rest of your spine. Your spine is made of 33 vertebrae bones total. Underneath your cervical spine in the neck (C1-C7), you have 12 thoracic vertebrae (T1-T12) in your middle back and 5 lumbar vertebrae (L1-L5) in your lower back.^{[6]
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- Beneath your lumbar spine is your sacrum (S1-S5), which is actually 5 vertebrae fused together. The sacrum connects your spine to your hips and pelvis.
- Finally, at the very end of your spine is your coccyx (tailbone), which consists of 4 vertebrae fused together.

Section 3 of 7:

Chest & Abdominal Bones

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Your rib cage, sternum, clavicles, and shoulder blades complete your upper body bones. You have 12 pairs of rib bones (24 bones total) that encase your abdomen and connect to your thoracic spine in the back and your sternum (breastbone) in the front.^{[7]
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Go to source} You also have a clavicle (collar bone) and scapula (shoulder blade) on either shoulder that help connect your upper arm bone (humerus) to your body.^{[8]
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- Double board-certified dermatologist Ellen Turner, MD, explains that “Clavicles are the bones that sit atop the chest and sternum and angle up towards the shoulders. Narrow clavicles occur on smaller framed individuals and wider on bigger boned people.”^{[9]
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Section 4 of 7:

Pelvic Bones

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Your pelvis is a basin-shaped complex of bones that connect your trunk and your legs. The pelvis also supports and balances your trunk and contains your intestines, bladder, and internal sex organs. The pelvis consists of 2 hips joined in the front by the sacrum bone. Each hip is actually made of 3 bones that have fused together—the ilium (the blade-shaped bone that determines the width of your hips), the ischium (where your weight falls when sitting), and the pubis in the front.^{[10]
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Research source} Here is a list of the bones of the pelvis:
- Sacrum: A spade-shaped bone at the base of your spine formed by the last 5 vertebrae fusing together.
- Coccyx: Your tailbone.
- Ilium (2), ischium (2), and pubis (2): Separate bones that fuse together during puberty to form your pelvis.

Section 5 of 7:

Arm & Hand Bones

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Your long arm bones, small wrist bones, and narrow finger bones make up your upper limbs. From the top down, your arm consists of the humerus (the long bone in your upper arm), the radius and ulna (the 2 smaller bones that form the inside and outside of your forearm), and 8 small bones in each wrist known as the carpal bones.^{[11]
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- The carpal bones are named the scaphoid, lunate, triquetrum, trapezoid, trapezium, capitate, hamate, and pisiform. These oddly-shaped bones fit together in your wrist almost like gravel, giving you a wide range of motion and support.
- Your hand consists of 5 metacarpal bones that let you flex your hand and support your fingers.
- Each finger is made of 3 phalanges (proximal, middle, and distal) that let you bend and articulate your fingers.
- Your thumb has a thicker metacarpal than your other fingers and only has 2 phalanges (proximal and distal).
- Your humerus has a “ball”-like joint on the end that fits into the shoulder socket formed by the clavicle and scapula.

Section 6 of 7:

Leg & Foot Bones

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Your long leg bones, small ankle bones, and narrow foot bones make up your lower limbs. The structure of your legs is similar to that of your arms. From the top down, you have the femur (the very long bone in your thigh) which connects to the tibia (shin bone) fibula (the narrow bone in the back of your lower leg). Your knee joint houses the patella (kneecap) that protects your knee and helps join your upper and lower legs.^{[12]
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- Your tibia and fibula join with the talus bone in your ankle joint. This joint is what allows the up and down motion of your foot.
- Below the talus is the calcaneus (heel bone). It’s the largest bone in your foot.
- In front of the heel bone, you have the navicular bone, which helps with weight distribution and arch support.
- In front of the navicular bone are the cuboid bone and 3 cuneiform bones, which protect several foot tendons and give you more arc support.
- 5 metatarsal bones run the length of your foot and form the majority of your arch.
- Each toe is made of 3 phalanges (except for your big toe, which only has 2).

Section 7 of 7:

Skeleton Fun Facts

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There’s no shortage of interesting and surprising facts about the human skeleton. Here are some of the most important and fascinating things to know about your bones! Who knew there was so much to learn?^{[13]
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- Most adults have exactly 206 bones in their body, but babies are actually born with around 300! These extra bones fuse together as you age; for example, a baby’s head is soft because its cranial bones haven’t joined together yet.
- Your bones are divided into 2 categories: your axial (center) skeleton (your skull, vertebrae, spine, thoracic cage, and ear bones) and your appendicular skeleton (legs, arms, pelvis, clavicles, and scapulas).
- More than half of your total bones are located in your hands and feet.
- Bones are living tissue that constantly replenishes itself. It’s estimated that you get a completely new skeleton every 7 years.
- The hyoid bone is the only “floating” bone in your body. It’s not connected to any other bones (only to ligaments, muscles, and cartilage).
- Your ear bones are the smallest bones in your body, and your femurs are the largest.