The HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC) sets a unique and meaningful name for every known human gene. It asks experts their opinions. The HGNC gives a long name, and an abbreviation (referred to as a symbol) to every gene. The HGNC is part of the Human Genome Organisation (HUGO).
Traditional gene names and abbreviations are often not specific for a single gene. Example: CAP (which means just "chromosome-associated protein") can refer to any of six different genes: (BRD4[permanent dead link], CAP1 Archived 2013-11-02 at the Wayback Machine, LNPEP Archived 2012-09-13 at the Wayback Machine, PTPLA Archived 2013-10-07 at the Wayback Machine, SERPINB6 Archived 2013-10-08 at the Wayback Machine, and SORBS1 Archived 2012-10-12 at the Wayback Machine).
Unlike traditional names like CAP, the HGNC short gene names, or gene symbols, are given to one gene only. This reduces confusion as to which gene is referred to.