What is the name of Canada's national anthem?

Canada’s national anthem is “O Canada.”

The song began as a French-Canadian patriotic work created for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations in Quebec City. Composer Calixa Lavallée wrote the music, and poet and judge Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier supplied the original French lyrics. The song was first performed on June 24, 1880.

English versions appeared later. Robert Stanley Weir’s 1908 adaptation became the most widely performed English version, although it was not a direct translation of the French words. Over time, “O Canada” became a de facto anthem at public ceremonies and national events.

Parliament officially adopted it through the National Anthem Act in 1980, effective July 1, Canada’s national holiday. Canada also recognizes “God Save the King” as its royal anthem, but that is not the national anthem. Another frequent confusion is “The Maple Leaf Forever,” a once-popular patriotic song that never received official national-anthem status.