Which carol begins with the Latin words "Adeste Fideles"?

The carol that begins with the Latin words “Adeste Fideles” is “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” The Latin title is commonly retained as an alternate name for the Christmas hymn, whose refrain invites worshippers to come to Bethlehem.

The earliest known printed version appeared in 1751 in Cantus Diversi, a collection associated with the English Catholic copyist John Francis Wade. Its authorship is not completely settled: the text and tune have also been attributed to figures including John Reading, King John IV of Portugal, and unidentified Cistercian monks. Wade’s name on early copies explains why he is often credited, but it does not resolve every question about the hymn’s origin.

Frederick Oakeley produced the best-known English translation in 1841, originally using the title “Ye Faithful, Approach Ye.” Later English versions expanded the original four Latin verses. “Adeste fideles” means roughly “come, faithful ones,” so it identifies the hymn itself rather than “Silent Night,” “O Holy Night,” or the Advent hymn “Veni, Veni, Emmanuel.”