Robert Burns is traditionally credited with popularizing “Auld Lang Syne.”
Burns, Scotland's national poet, sent a version of the song to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788. He described the words as based partly on an older Scottish song, so he is better understood as the person who preserved and shaped the familiar version rather than necessarily inventing every line.
The title is a Scots phrase meaning roughly “old long since” or “for old times' sake.” The song asks whether old acquaintances and shared memories should be forgotten, making it especially suitable for farewells and New Year's gatherings.
The melody used today became standardized through later publication and performance. Because Burns's version is associated with Scotland, the song is sometimes incorrectly treated as an exclusively Scottish anthem. It is now sung internationally at midnight, graduations, memorials, and other moments of transition.