The word `` neon '' comes from the Greek word meaning `` new '' . It was discovered by William Ramsay and Morris W. Travers in 1898 . Neon ( Greek ( neon ) meaning `` new one '' ) was discovered in 1898 by the British chemists Sir William Ramsay ( 1852 â `` 1916 ) and Morris W. Travers ( 1872 â `` 1961 ) in London .