What is the official name of the U.S. national anthem adopted in 1931?

The official national anthem of the United States is “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Congress adopted it as the national anthem in 1931, more than a century after Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics. Key composed the poem after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 and seeing the large American flag still flying the next morning.

The words were set to the tune of a British song called “The Anacreontic Song,” which had already circulated in the United States. The anthem’s four stanzas are rarely performed in full; public ceremonies usually use the first stanza.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” is often confused with patriotic songs such as “America the Beautiful” and “My Country, ’Tis of Thee.” Those songs are important national music but are not the official anthem.