nameof
Get the name of a variable or attribute, as in C#
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No. The author explicitly recommends against this package in the description. The project is abandoned, last released 2020-02-01, and relies on fragile AST inspection that breaks with common tools. High install friction and lack of maintenance make it unsuitable for any new project.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- The argument must be a variable or attribute; does not work in the presence of AST-modifying tools like pytest.
- High install friction.
- The package is abandoned (repository archived, last release 2020-02-01) and the author explicitly recommends switching to an alternative instead.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, requiring only license and copyright notice retention.
last release 2020-02-01 (2386 days) · last repo commit 2024-12-07 · 18 stars · archived
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 208,877 downloads/mo, #9,523 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install nameof
from nameof import nameof
assert nameof(foo) == "foo"
assert nameof(foo.bar) == "bar"- Whether the package works reliably with Python versions beyond 3.8
- Specific AST-based limitations beyond pytest and birdseye that may affect usage
- Whether the recommended alternative is a drop-in replacement or requires code changes
What it is and what it does
nameof is a utility that extracts the string name of a variable or object attribute at runtime by inspecting the abstract syntax tree (AST). It attempts to replicate C#'s nameof operator, allowing code like `nameof(foo)` to return the string `"foo"`. The package has no runtime dependencies and consists of minimal code that can be copied directly into a project if needed.
However, the author explicitly states this was a toy project and recommends using an alternative instead. The package is abandoned, with its repository archived and no releases since 2020-02-01. It relies on fragile AST manipulation that breaks in the presence of other AST-modifying tools like pytest, and the author cautions that code depending on it should be thoroughly tested. It is not suitable for production use.
Use it for
- Debugging and logging where you need to print variable names alongside their values
- Generating field names dynamically in data validation or ORM frameworks
- Building introspection tools that require mapping runtime objects back to their source variable names
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No.
The author explicitly recommends against this package in the description. The project is abandoned, last released 2020-02-01, and relies on fragile AST inspection that breaks with common tools. High install friction and lack of maintenance make it unsuitable for any new project.
Install
nameof on PyPI
Before you install
High install friction. The package is abandoned (repository archived, last release 2020-02-01) and the author explicitly recommends switching to an alternative instead.
The argument must be a variable or attribute; does not work in the presence of AST-modifying tools like pytest.
License in practice
MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, requiring only license and copyright notice retention.
Quickstart
pip install nameof
from nameof import nameof
assert nameof(foo) == "foo"
assert nameof(foo.bar) == "bar"Verify before relying
- Whether the package works reliably with Python versions beyond 3.8
- Specific AST-based limitations beyond pytest and birdseye that may affect usage
- Whether the recommended alternative is a drop-in replacement or requires code changes
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | High. Source build required |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 2,386 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | repository archived |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 208,877 / month, #9,523 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | License :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.4Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8 |
Evidence: nameof-0.0.1.tar.gz
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See also varname · executing · typing-inspect · typing-inspection · attributes-doc · read-version · qualname · grpcio-reflection · snoop · inspect2