In 1974, the Soviets at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research announced their discovery of element-106. Three months later, the American group at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory claimed positive discovery of the same element. The American claim is base on the bombardment of ²⁴⁹Cf with ions of ¹⁸O.

In 1994, the American research group that created element-106 has proposed that it be named seaborgium, in honour of the discover and Nobel Laureate Glenn T. Seaborg, codiscover of plutonium and nine other transuranium elements. The name was announced at the American Chemical Society meeting by E. Kenneth Hulet, a retired chemistry from the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and one of the codiscoverers of element-106. Until now, elements have not been named after living scientists.