In the English language, what is the name of the "&" character?

The story behind the answer

The correct name for the “&” symbol is ampersand. It represents the word “and” and originated as a ligature of the Latin letters e and t (forming “et,” meaning “and”). Over time, scribes’ cursive “et” merged into the single character we use today.

Its name comes from the old recitation of the alphabet, where “&” was treated as a letter and read as “and, per se, and”—meaning “the character that by itself means ‘and.’” Spoken quickly, this became “ampersand.” To remember it, think “amp up your and”—ampersand! For contrast: obelus is the division sign (÷), “and sign” is informal, and “eightslash” isn’t a recognized term.