“LDS,” “Mormon,” “Latter-day Saint”: people use all three. Here’s how they relate, where the official name came from, and why it matters to members.
Yes. “LDS” and “Mormon” are both nicknames for the same Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The full name was given by revelation in 1838 (D&C 115:4), and the Church asks people to use it, because, as Christ taught, “if it be called in my name then it is my church” (3 Nephi 27:8). “Mormon” comes from the Book of Mormon, named for an ancient prophet who called himself “a disciple of Jesus Christ.”
The short answerYes, they refer to the same Church
“LDS” and “Mormon” are both nicknames for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “LDS” is an abbreviation of “Latter-day Saints.” “Mormon” comes from the Book of Mormon, which is named for an ancient prophet. People search both terms, and they mean the same church and the same people.
But the Church doesn’t use either nickname for itself. Its newsroom style guide says: “please avoid using the abbreviation ‘LDS’ or the nickname ‘Mormon’ as substitutes for the name of the Church, as in ‘Mormon Church,’ ‘LDS Church,’ or ‘Church of the Latter-day Saints.’” For members, it prefers “Latter-day Saints” or “members of the Church of Jesus Christ” (Newsroom Style Guide).
Full disclosure: you’ll see “LDS” in some headlines on this site, because it’s what people type into search engines. In the text, I aim to use the name the Lord gave.
D&C 115The name came by revelation
Joseph Smith didn’t choose the name. The Church was first organized in 1830 as “the Church of Christ” (D&C 20:1). In 1838 the Lord revealed the full name:
For thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
D&C 115:4
Each part means something. “The Church of Jesus Christ” says whose church it is. “Latter-day” says when: the last days before His return. “Saints” is the Bible’s word for believers. Paul wrote “to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1). President Russell M. Nelson noted that a saint “is a person who believes in Jesus Christ and strives to follow Him” (“The Correct Name of the Church”).
3 Nephi 27Why the name matters: whose church is it?
When the risen Christ visited the Americas, His disciples asked what to call the church. He answered with a question:
And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.
3 Nephi 27:8
That’s the whole reason. In October 2018 President Nelson said, “When it comes to nicknames of the Church, such as the ‘LDS Church,’ the ‘Mormon Church,’ or the ‘Church of the Latter-day Saints,’ the most important thing in those names is the absence of the Savior’s name” (October 2018 general conference). Every Sunday, members promise to “take upon them the name of thy Son” (Moroni 4:3). King Benjamin taught, “There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ” (Mosiah 5:8).
Who was Mormon?Who was Mormon?
Mormon was a real prophet in the Book of Mormon, a military leader and record keeper who abridged centuries of records into the book that bears his name. He introduced himself this way: “I am called Mormon, being called after the land of Mormon” and then, “Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (3 Nephi 5:12–13).
Latter-day Saints honor him, but he isn’t whom we follow. President Nelson put it this way: “Many who hear the term Mormon may think that we worship Mormon. Not so! We honor and respect that great ancient American prophet. But we are not Mormon’s disciples. We are the Lord’s disciples” (Nelson, 2018). The style guide still uses “Mormon” correctly in proper names like the Book of Mormon and in historical terms like the Mormon Trail (Style Guide).
Acts 11 · Acts 24Nicknames from outsiders: the first Christians had them too
“Mormon” started as an outsider’s label. President Nelson said that in the early days, “terms such as Mormon Church and Mormons were often used as epithets—as cruel terms, abusive terms—designed to obliterate God’s hand in restoring the Church of Jesus Christ” (Nelson, 2018).
The New Testament church went through the same thing. A prosecutor called Paul “a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5). Even the name “Christian” was first given in Antioch: “the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26). Believers didn’t control what others called them, but they knew whose name they carried. The same is true today.
This isn’t new for the Church, either. In 1948 President George Albert Smith said, “Don’t let the Lord down by calling this the Mormon Church. He didn’t call it the Mormon Church” (quoted in Nelson, 2018).
In conversationHow to answer “Are you a Mormon?”
President Nelson offered a friendly reply: “If you are asking if I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, yes, I am!” And if someone asks, “Are you a Latter-day Saint?” you might say, “Yes, I am. I believe in Jesus Christ and am a member of His restored Church” (Nelson, 2018).
Nobody needs to correct a friend harshly. He also said, “We will want to be courteous and patient in our efforts to correct these errors.” The goal is to point to Christ, not to win a vocabulary argument.
Check the premiseThe presuppositions baked into the question
Before this question can be answered fairly, the person asking has to justify a few assumptions packed inside it:
- That “Mormon” is the Church’s real name. The name was given by revelation in 1838: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (D&C 115:4). “Mormon” is a nickname that started with outsiders.
- That avoiding the nickname is just rebranding. President Nelson said the reason is the Savior’s name, “the absence of the Savior’s name” in the nicknames, echoing 3 Nephi 27:8: “if it be called in my name then it is my church.”
- That “Mormon” means members follow a man named Mormon. Mormon called himself “a disciple of Jesus Christ” (3 Nephi 5:13). Latter-day Saints honor him as a prophet and follow Christ.
- That a nickname makes a church less Christian. The first believers were called Nazarenes and a “sect” (Acts 24:5), and even “Christian” began as an outsider’s label in Antioch (Acts 11:26). Labels don’t change whose church it is.
FAQQuick answers
Is LDS the same as Mormon?
Yes. “LDS” and “Mormon” are both nicknames for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members. The Church asks people to use its full name instead.
What does LDS stand for?
LDS stands for “Latter-day Saints,” from the Church’s full name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, revealed in 1838 (D&C 115:4).
Why don’t Latter-day Saints want to be called Mormons?
Because the nickname leaves out the name of Jesus Christ. In 3 Nephi 27:8 Christ said, “if it be called in my name then it is my church,” and President Russell M. Nelson asked in 2018 that the Church be called by its full name.
Who was Mormon?
Mormon was an ancient prophet and record keeper who abridged the records that became the Book of Mormon. He called himself “a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (3 Nephi 5:13).
What should I call members of the Church?
The Church prefers “Latter-day Saints” or “members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” It asks that “Mormons” and “LDS” not be used for members.
Where does the Church’s name come from?
From revelation in 1838: “For thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” (D&C 115:4).
When did the Church ask people to use its full name?
President Russell M. Nelson announced the emphasis in August 2018 and explained it in the October 2018 general conference.
Is it still fine to say “the Book of Mormon”?
Yes. That is the book’s title, named for the prophet Mormon, who abridged the record. The guidance is about the name of the Church and its members, not the book.
SummaryKey takeaways
- “LDS” and “Mormon” are nicknames for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- The full name was revealed in 1838 (D&C 115:4); the Church prefers it, and “Latter-day Saints” for members.
- The reason is Christ’s name: “if it be called in my name then it is my church” (3 Nephi 27:8).
- Mormon was a prophet and “a disciple of Jesus Christ” (3 Nephi 5:13). We honor him and follow Christ.
Next time someone asks if you’re a Mormon, try President Nelson’s answer: “If you are asking if I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, yes, I am!” For quick, sourced answers, open Galatians18, and follow me on X at @TraviXai.
Sources
- King James Bible (churchofjesuschrist.org): Acts 11:26 · Acts 24:5 · Ephesians 1:1
- Book of Mormon: Mosiah 5:7–8 · 3 Nephi 5:12–13 · 3 Nephi 27:7–8 · Moroni 4:3
- Doctrine and Covenants: D&C 20:1 · D&C 115:4
- Russell M. Nelson, “The Correct Name of the Church,” October 2018 general conference (includes George Albert Smith, Conference Report, Apr. 1948, 160)
- “Style Guide—The Name of the Church,” Church Newsroom
- Featured image and in-article graphic: original graphics by thebookofmormon.ai (painterly backgrounds; no photographs or likenesses of real people).
