Convert hsv to rgb. Here is a little test case. (let ((color-name (format "#%06x" (random #xffffff)))) (format "color-name: %s round-tripped: %s" color-name (apply 'color-rgb-to-hex (apply 'color-hsv-to-rgb (apply 'color-rgb-to-hsv (color-name-to-rgb color-name)))))) => "color-name: #01043d round-tripped: #01033d" => "color-name: #1278e2 round-tripped: #1278e2" => "color-name: #ffb4bd round-tripped: #ffb4bd" One can use `color-hsv-to-rgb' for example in `vc-annotate-color-map'.