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{{Short description|Word used for concepts relating to Latter-Day Saints}}
{{italic title}}
{{other uses|Mormon (disambiguation)}}
<!--DO NOT replace "Latter Day" with the hyphenated "Latter-day."  Please see talk for explanation.
[[Talk:Mormon#Latter Day Saint vs. Latter-day Saint]]-->

[[File:Mormon-book.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Book of Mormon]] as printed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (2009)]]
The word '''''Mormon''''' most [[colloquially]] denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of [[Mormonism]] in [[restorationism (Christian primitivism)|restorationist Christianity]]. ''Mormon'' also commonly refers, specifically, to a member of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church), which is often colloquially, but imprecisely, referred to as the ''Mormon Church''. In addition, the term ''Mormon'' may refer to any of the relatively small sects of [[Mormon fundamentalism]], or any branch of the [[Latter Day Saint movement]] that recognizes [[Brigham Young]] as the successor to founder [[Joseph Smith]]. The term ''Mormon'' applies to the religion of Mormonism, as well as its culture, texts, and art.

The term derives from the [[Book of Mormon]], published in 1830 and regarded by the faith as a [[sacred text]] and supplemental testament to the [[Bible]]. Adherents believe the book was translated by Smith from an ancient record by the gift and power of God.  The text is said to be an ancient chronicle of a fallen and lost [[indigenous peoples of the Americas|indigenous American]] nation, compiled by the prophet–historian and warrior, [[Mormon (Book of Mormon prophet)|Mormon]] and his son, [[Moroni (Book of Mormon prophet)|Moroni]], the last of the [[Nephites]].

The term ''Mormon'' was applied to members of [[Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints)|the church Smith founded in the 1830s]] by those outside the faith due to early believers only calling themselves "the Church of Christ" and "saints", which was the same terminology used by the [[Campbellite]]s only a few miles away. Therefore, like the Campbellites, the term "Mormonite" was applied to the new religious movement by outsiders to distinguish it from other Christian sects. The term "Mormon" was later embraced by members of the faith. Different denominations have made efforts in the years since to embrace the term "Mormon" as their own or distance themselves from it.

==Origin of the term==
{{See also|Book of Mormon}}
The term ''Mormon'' is taken from the title of the Book of Mormon, a text adherents consider sacred and believe was translated from [[golden plates|gold plates]] whose location was revealed by [[Angel Moroni|an angel]] to Joseph Smith and which was published in 1830. According to the text of the Book of Mormon, the word Mormon stems from the [[Waters of Mormon|Land of Mormon]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://webdevilaz.com/religion/where-do-mormons-get-their-name-from |title=Where Do Mormons Get Their Name From? |publisher=WebDevilAZ |date=March 25, 2009 |access-date=October 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501162104/http://webdevilaz.com/religion/where-do-mormons-get-their-name-from |archive-date=May 1, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{BSN|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]). It's a blog.|date=March 2023}} where the prophet [[Alma (son of Alma)|Alma]] preached the gospel and baptized converts. Mormon—who was named after the land—was a 4th-century prophet–historian who compiled and abridged many records of his ancestors into the Book of Mormon.<ref>{{Sourcetext|source=Book of Mormon|version=1981|book=3 Nephi|chapter=5|verse=12}}</ref> The book is believed by Latter-day Saints to be a literal record of God's dealings with [[pre-Columbian]] civilizations in the [[Americas]] from approximately 2600 BC through AD 420,<ref>[[Daniel H. Ludlow]], ''A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon'' p. 117, quoted in [[Church Educational System]] (1996, rev. ed.). [http://www.ldsces.org/inst_manuals/bm-in-sm1996/manualindex.asp ''Book of Mormon Student Manual''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190614023648/https://www.ldsces.org/inst_manuals/bm-in-sm1996/manualindex.asp |date=2019-06-14 }} (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), ch. 6.</ref> written by [[prophet]]s and followers of [[Jesus Christ]]. The book records the teachings of Jesus Christ to the people in the Americas as well as Christ's personal ministry among the people of [[Nephi, son of Lehi|Nephi]] after his [[resurrection]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/3-ne/11?lang=eng |title=3 Nephi, chapters 11-26 |access-date=2019-07-16 |archive-date=2019-07-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715040318/https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/3-ne/11?lang=eng |url-status=live }}</ref> The LDS Church teaches that the Book of Mormon is another witness of Jesus Christ, "holy [[Religious text|scripture]] comparable to the Bible".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/introduction/1?lang=eng |title=Introduction, Book of Mormon |access-date=2019-07-16 |archive-date=2019-09-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190912185646/https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/introduction/1?lang=eng |url-status=live }}</ref>

The terms ''Mormonism''<ref>{{cite news |title=Mormonism |url=http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/OH/paintel2.htm#011831 |access-date=31 August 2019 |issue=2 |publisher=Painesville Telegraph |date=18 January 1831 |archive-date=29 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929001117/http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/OH/paintel2.htm#011831 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{BSN|reason=Appears to be Original Research|date=March 2023}}and ''Mormonite''<ref>{{cite news |title=Letter to the Editor |url=http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/NY/wayn1830.htm#010631 |access-date=31 August 2019 |issue=2 |publisher=The Reflector |date=1 February 1831 |archive-date=7 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107181544/http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/NY/wayn1830.htm#010631 |url-status=live }}</ref> were originally descriptive terms invented in 1831 by newspaper editors or contributors in Ohio and New York to describe the growing movement of "proselytes of the Golden Bible".<ref>{{cite news |title=Untitled. Baltim. Patriot. Merc. Advert. 37 (March 10, 1831). Baltimore Maryland. |url=http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/ma/midatla0.htm |access-date=31 August 2019 |issue=37 |publisher=Baltimore Patriot and Mercantile Advertiser |date=10 March 1831 |archive-date=31 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831191517/http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/MA/midatla0.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Historian [[Ardis Parshall]] quotes an 1831 news item, appearing within the first year of the LDS Church's founding, as reading, "In the sixth number of your paper I saw a notice of a sect of people called Mormonites; and thinking that a fuller history of their founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., might be interesting to your community ... I will take the trouble to make a few remarks on the character of that infamous imposter."<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.timesandseasons.org/harchive/2007/04/the-mormons-on-pbs/|title = "The Mormons" on PBS|date = 2007-04-29|access-date = 2019-10-06|archive-date = 2019-10-06|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191006071107/https://www.timesandseasons.org/harchive/2007/04/the-mormons-on-pbs/|url-status = live}}</ref> The term ''Mormon'' developed as a shortened version of ''Mormonite'' a year or two later. By the 1840s the term was adopted by Mormon leaders to refer to themselves, though leaders occasionally used the term as early as 1833.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Whitney |first1=Newel K. |title=Personal letter to Jesse Smith, East Stockholm |date=2 March 1833}}</ref>{{BSN|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]). Appears to be original research.|date=March 2023}} The term also started to be used [[pejorative]]ly sometime before 1844<ref>{{cite news |title=From the Illinois State Register |url=http://boap.org/LDS/Nauvoo-Neighbor/1844/11-13-1844.pdf |access-date=31 August 2019 |issue=2 |publisher=The Pioneer |date=13 November 1844 |archive-date=14 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414001942/http://boap.org/LDS/Nauvoo-Neighbor/1844/11-13-1844.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>{{BSN|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]). Appears to be original research|date=March 2023}} with the coinage of the term [[Jack Mormon]] to describe non-Mormons sympathetic to the movement. Since that time the term ''Mormon'' has generally lost its pejorative status, as it became [[Reappropriation|reappropriated]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Jan|first=Shipps|date=2001|title=Signifying Sainthood, 1830-2001|journal=Arrington Annual Lecture|url=https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/arrington_lecture/6/|language=en|access-date=2018-02-02|archive-date=2018-02-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203064100/https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/arrington_lecture/6/|url-status=live}}</ref> According to LDS Church historian Matthew Bowman, and by the end of the 1800s it was broadly used.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Jacobs |first=Julia |date=2018-08-18 |title=Stop Saying 'Mormon,' Church Leader Says. But Is the Real Name Too Long? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/18/us/mormon-latter-day-saints-name.html |access-date=2023-03-19 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=2020-05-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200505165938/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/18/us/mormon-latter-day-saints-name.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Popular usage==
Several schisms in the [[Latter Day Saint movement]] have resulted in [[List of denominations in the Latter Day Saint movement|dozens of denominations]], each with their own preferred terminology. Today, the term ''Mormon'' is often used to refer to members of the largest denomination, the LDS Church, which rejects "Mormon" as a reference term as of 2018. The second-largest sect, the [[Community of Christ]], also rejects the term "Mormon" due to its association with the practice of polygamy among [[List of denominations in the Latter Day Saint movement#Apostolic succession by Brigham Young|Brighamite sects]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Shields |first=Steven L. |date=2014 |title=The Early Community of Christ Mission to 'Redeem' the Church in Utah |journal=Journal of Mormon History |volume=40 |issue=4 |pages=158–170 |doi=10.5406/jmormhist.40.4.158 |s2cid=246562695 |jstor=|doi-access=free }}</ref> Smaller sects often adopted the term, including adherents of [[Mormon fundamentalism]].  Due to the size and influence of the LDS Church, it tends to dominate discussions of how ''Mormon'' is used.

The term ''Mormon'' is frequently embraced by adherents of Mormon fundamentalism, who continue to believe in and practice [[plural marriage]],<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |last=Driggs |first=Ken |date=Winter 2001 |title='This Will Someday Be the Head and Not the Tail of the Church': A History of the Mormon Fundamentalists at Short Creek |url=https://eds.s.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=3d65e722-b2c8-4a57-95fd-631c37c1d281@redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ==#AN=4260961&db=31h |journal=Journal of Church & State |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=49, 51 |doi=10.1093/jcs/43.1.49 |access-date=2023-03-19 |archive-date=2023-03-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319161938/https://eds.s.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=3d65e722-b2c8-4a57-95fd-631c37c1d281@redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ==#AN=4260961&db=31h |url-status=dead |url-access=subscription }}</ref><!--

FOOTNOTE--><ref name=":2">The term ''Mormon fundamentalist'' appears to have been coined in the 1940s by LDS Church [[Apostle (LDS Church)|Apostle]] [[Mark E. Petersen]]: Ken Driggs, "'This Will Someday Be the Head and Not the Tail of the Church': A History of the Mormon Fundamentalists at Short Creek", ''Journal of Church and State'' '''43''':49 (2001) at p. 51.</ref><!--

--> and consider themselves to be the true successors of the LDS Church or hide among the membership of the LDS Church. Seeking to distance itself from [[polygamy]] and Mormon fundamentalism, prior to August 2018 the Church of Jesus Christ had taken the position that the term ''Mormon'' should only apply to itself and its members, and not other adherents who have adopted the term.<ref name=":4">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070222163531/http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=e17c39628b88f010VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD&vgnextchannel=f5f411154963d010VgnVCM1000004e94610aRCRD Mormons and Polygamy], LDS News Room.</ref> It cited a now-obsolete ''[[AP Stylebook]]'' which stated, "The term Mormon is not properly applied to the other Latter Day Saint churches that resulted from the split after [Joseph] Smith's death."<ref name=":5">"Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The," Associated Press, ''The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law'', 2002, {{ISBN|0-7382-0740-3}}, p.48</ref>

==Usage preferred by the LDS Church==

The terminology preferred by the LDS Church has varied over time. At various points, the church has embraced the term ''Mormon'' and stated that other sects within the shared faith tradition should not be called Mormon.<ref>The LDS Church has taken the position that the term Mormon should only apply to the LDS Church and its members, and not other adherents who have adopted the term. (See: {{cite web |date=April 9, 2010 |title=Style Guide – The Name of the Church |url=http://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/style-guide |access-date=November 11, 2011 |publisher=LDS Newsroom |archive-date=June 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190613210818/https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/style-guide |url-status=live }}) The Church cites the ''[[AP Stylebook]]'', which states, "The term Mormon is not properly applied to the other Latter Day Saints churches that resulted from the split after [Joseph] Smith's death." ("Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The", Associated Press, ''The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law'', 2002, {{ISBN|0-7382-0740-3}}, p.48) Despite the LDS Church's position, the term ''Mormon'' is widely used by journalists and non-journalists to refer to adherents of [[Mormon fundamentalism]].</ref> At other times, the church has rejected the term Mormon altogether except in extremely limited uses.<ref name=":6" />

The LDS Church has made efforts, including in 1982, in 2001 prior to the [[2002 Winter Olympics|2002 Salt Lake City Olympics]], in 2011 after [[The Book of Mormon (musical)|''The Book of Mormon'']] appeared on Broadway, and again in 2018, to encourage the use of the church's full name rather than the terms Mormon or LDS.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Criss |first=Doug |date=17 August 2018 |title=Mormons don't want you calling them Mormons anymore |publisher=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/17/us/mormon-church-name-trnd/index.html |access-date=3 March 2023 |archive-date=31 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131015335/https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/17/us/mormon-church-name-trnd/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Around 2010, the LDS Church and its members experienced a "Mormon moment" in which they were thrust into the national spotlight by [[Mitt Romney]]'s 2008 and 2012 campaigns for [[President of the United States]] and the unaffiliated 2011 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical titled [[The Book of Mormon (musical)|''The Book of Mormon'']].<ref>{{Cite journal | url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/12/mormon-moment-is-over-but-it-changed-mormon-culture-for-good.html | title=What the "Mormon Moment" Actually Accomplished | journal=Slate | date=2 December 2014 | last1=Haglund | first1=Kristine | access-date=22 March 2021 | archive-date=6 March 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306114441/https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/12/mormon-moment-is-over-but-it-changed-mormon-culture-for-good.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.newsweek.com/mormon-moment-67951|title = The Mormon Moment|website = [[Newsweek]]|date = 5 June 2011|access-date = 22 March 2021|archive-date = 1 March 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210301143203/https://www.newsweek.com/mormon-moment-67951|url-status = live}}</ref> Facing media attention and abundant negative stereotypes, the church actively fostered its "Mormon" nickname with a multinational ''[[I'm a Mormon]]'' ad campaign (2010-2018), the film ''[[Meet the Mormons]]'' (2014), and websites like mormon.org and mormonandgay.org.<ref name="membersoffendjesus">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2018/10/07/members-offend-jesus/|title=Members 'offend' Jesus and please the devil when they use the term 'Mormon,' President Nelson says|access-date=2021-03-22|archive-date=2018-10-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008202631/https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2018/10/07/members-offend-jesus/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2018, the church reversed course again after [[Russell M. Nelson]] became [[President of the Church (LDS Church)|church president]]. In August 2018, Nelson announced a renewed effort to discourage the use of the word "Mormon" in reference to itself and its members, saying that terms like "Mormon Church" offended Jesus and were a "major victory for Satan".<ref name=":0" /><ref name="nameofchurch">Russell M. Nelson, [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2018/11/sunday-morning-session/the-correct-name-of-the-church?lang=eng "The Correct Name of the Church"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125203445/https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2018/11/sunday-morning-session/the-correct-name-of-the-church?lang=eng |date=2021-01-25 }}, ''[[Liahona (magazine)|Liahona]]'', November 2018.</ref><ref name="membersoffendjesus" /> The church followed up with a major renaming, with its websites at lds.org and mormon.org merged to a new website at churchofjesuschrist.org; the [[Mormon Tabernacle Choir]] becoming the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, and the church-affiliated publishing house [[Deseret Book]] began phasing out book titles that used the word "Mormon".<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Dias |first1=Elizabeth |date=29 June 2019 |title='Mormon' No More: Faithful Reflect on Church's Move to Scrap a Moniker |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/29/us/mormon-church-name-change.html |access-date=22 March 2021 |archive-date=24 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124035224/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/29/us/mormon-church-name-change.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2018, the LDS Church published a style guide that encourages the use of the terms "the Church," the "Church of Jesus Christ" or the "restored Church of Jesus Christ" as shortened versions after an initial use of the full name.<ref>On August 18, 2018, church president [[Russell M. Nelson]] asked followers and non-followers to characterize the denomination with the name "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" instead of "Mormons", "Mormonism" or the shorthand of "LDS".{{cite news |date=August 18, 2018 |title=Latter Day Saints church leader rejects 'Mormon' label |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-45236892 |access-date=19 August 2018 |archive-date=19 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819191629/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-45236892 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Stack |first=Peggy Fletcher |date=22 August 2018 |title=LDS Church wants everyone to stop calling it the LDS Church and drop the word 'Mormons' — but some members doubt it will happen |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/08/16/lds-church-wants-everyone/ |access-date=2023-03-19 |website=The Salt Lake Tribune |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420203816/https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/08/16/lds-church-wants-everyone/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to church historian Bowman, 'the term "restored" refers to the idea that the original Christian religion is obsolete, and Mormons alone are practicing true Christianity.'<ref name=":1" /> The 2018 style guide rejects the term Mormons along with "Mormon Church", "Mormonism", and the abbreviation LDS.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-01-24 |title=Style Guide — The Name of the Church |url=http://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/style-guide |access-date=2025-10-11 |website=newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org |language=en}}</ref>

According to Patrick Mason, chair of [[Mormon studies]] at [[Claremont Graduate University]] and Richard Bennett, a professor of church history at [[Brigham Young University]], this is because non-church members have historically been confused about whether it represents a Christian faith, which concerns church leaders, who want to emphasize that the church is a Christian church.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The term Mormon also causes concern for church leaders because it has been used to include groups such as the [[Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints]] who continued to practice [[Polygamy in Christianity|polygamy]] after the [[Second Manifesto]] of 1904. Mason said "For more than 100 years, the mainstream LDS church has gone to great pains to distance itself from those who practice polygamy. It doesn't want to have any confusion there between those two groups."<ref name=":0" />

In some countries, ''Mormon'' and some phrases including the term are [[registered trademark]]s owned by [[Intellectual Reserve]], a holding company for the LDS Church's [[intellectual property]].<ref>For example, ''Mormon Tabernacle Choir'' is registered as United States Federal TM Reg. No. 2766231, and ''Mormon'' is registered in the [[European Community]] serial number EC004306701, registered July 6, 2006</ref> In the United States, the LDS Church has applied for a trademark on ''Mormon'' as applied to religious services; however, the [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]] rejected the application, stating that the term ''Mormon'' was too generic, and is popularly understood as referring to a particular kind of church, similar to ''[[Presbyterian]]'' or ''[[Methodist]]'', rather than a service mark.<ref>[http://tmportal.uspto.gov/external/PA_1_0_LT/OpenServletWindow?serialNumber=78161091&scanDate=2005110155650&DocDesc=Offc+Action+Outgoing&docType=OOA&currentPage=1&rowNum=11&rowCount=33&formattedDate=01-Nov-2005 Office Action, November 1, 2005].  {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The application was abandoned as of August 22, 2007.<ref>[http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=78161091 Federal TM Ser. No. 78161091] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070904232239/http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=78161091 |date=2007-09-04 }}: "Current Status: Abandoned after an ex parte appeal. Date of Status: 2007-08-22"</ref>  In all, Intellectual Reserve owns more than 60 trademarks related to the term ''Mormon''.

Despite the LDS Church's position, the terms Mormon and LDS in 2023 remain widely used both inside and outside the church to refer to members of the main church and "Fundamentalist Mormon" or "Fundamentalist LDS" to refer to members of fundamentalist splinter groups.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" />

== Scholarly usage ==
[[J. Gordon Melton]], in his ''Encyclopedia of American Religions'', subdivides the Mormons into ''Utah Mormons'', ''Missouri Mormons'', ''Polygamy-Practicing Mormons'', and ''Other Mormons''.<ref>[[J. Gordon Melton]] (1996, 5th ed.). ''Encyclopedia of American Religions''. (Detroit: Gale, {{ISBN|0-8103-7714-4}}) pp. 561–585.</ref> In this scheme, the "Utah Mormon" group includes the non-polygamous organizations descending from those Mormons who followed [[Brigham Young]] to what is now [[Utah]]. The LDS Church is by far the largest of these groups, with a December 2022 membership count totaling 17,002,461<ref name=2022statistics>{{cite web|title=2022 Statistical Report for the April 2023 Conference|url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/2022-statistical-report-april-2023-conference|website=Church Newsroom|date=1 April 2023|access-date=18 March 2024|archive-date=8 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408060358/https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/2022-statistical-report-april-2023-conference|url-status=live}}</ref> worldwide and the only group to initially reside in Utah.

The "Missouri Mormon" groups include those non-polygamous groups that chose not to travel to Utah and are currently headquartered in Missouri, which Joseph Smith designated as the future site of the [[New Jerusalem]]. These organizations include [[Community of Christ]], [[Church of Christ (Temple Lot)]], [[Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints]], and others.

"Polygamy-Practicing Mormon" groups are those that currently practice polygamy, regardless of location. Most notably, this category includes the [[Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]] (FLDS Church) and the [[Apostolic United Brethren]] (AUB).

"Other Mormon" groups include those that are not headquartered in Utah or Missouri and do not practice polygamy, such as [[The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)]] and the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)]].

The terms ''Utah Mormon'' and ''Missouri Mormon'' cannot be interpreted to mean more than the location of the various groups' headquarters, as the majority of members of "Utah Mormon" groups and "Missouri Mormon" groups no longer live in either of these US states. Although a majority of Utahns are members of the LDS Church, it has a worldwide membership with the majority of its members outside the [[United States]]; and most "Missouri Mormons" do not live in Missouri.{{Cn|date=March 2023}}

==Meaning of the word==
The May 15, 1843, issue of the official Latter Day Saint periodical ''[[Times and Seasons]]'' contains an article, purportedly written by Joseph Smith, deriving the etymology of the name ''Mormon'' from English "more" + Egyptian ''mon'', "good", and extolling the meaning as follows:

<blockquote>
It has been stated that this word [mormon] was derived from the Greek word ''mormo''.  This is not the case.  There was no Greek or Latin upon the plates from which I, through the grace of God, translated the Book of Mormon. Let the language of that book speak for itself. On the 523d page, of the fourth edition, it reads: And now behold we have written this record according to our knowledge in the characters which are called among us the ''Reformed Egyptian'' ... none other people knoweth our language; therefore [God] hath prepared means for the interpretation thereof." ... [The] Bible in its widest sense, means ''good''; for the Savior says according to the gospel of John, "I am the ''good'' shepherd;" and it will not be beyond the common use of terms, to say that good is among the most important in use, and though known by various names in different languages, still its meaning is the same, and is ever in opposition to ''bad''.  We say from the Saxon, ''good''; the Dane, ''god''; the Goth, ''goda''; the German, ''gut''; the Dutch, ''goed''; the Latin, ''bonus''; the Greek, ''kalos''; the Hebrew, ''tob''; and the Egyptian, ''mon''.  Hence, with the addition of ''more'', or the contraction, ''mor'', we have the word MOR-MON; which means, literally, ''more good''.<ref>[https://archive.today/20121202101852/http://patriot.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/NCMP1820-1846&CISOPTR=8618&REC=9 "Correspondence"], ''[[Times and Seasons]]'' ([[Nauvoo, Illinois]]), vol. 4, no. 13, p. 194] (May 15, 1843); quoted in Joseph Smith ([[Joseph Fielding Smith]] ed., 1938) ''[[Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith]]'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book) pp. 299–300.</ref>
</blockquote>

Whether Smith was the actual author of this passage is uncertain. Official [[Church Historian and Recorder|LDS Church historian]] [[B.&nbsp;H. Roberts]] removed the quote from his ''[[History of the Church (Joseph Smith)|History of the Church]]'' compilation, saying he found evidence that [[W. W. Phelps (Mormon)|W.&nbsp;W. Phelps]] wrote that paragraph and that it was "based on inaccurate premises and was offensively pedantic."<ref>''Defender of the Faith: The B.&nbsp;H. Roberts Story'', pp. 291–292</ref> LDS Church [[Apostle (LDS Church)|apostle]] [[Gordon B. Hinckley]] noted that the "more good" translation is incorrect but added that "''Mormon'' means 'more good'" is a positive motto for members of the LDS Church.<ref name="hinckley">[[Gordon B. Hinckley]], [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1990/11/mormon-should-mean-more-good?lang=eng "''Mormon'' Should Mean 'More Good,'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200305015947/https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1990/11/mormon-should-mean-more-good?lang=eng |date=2020-03-05 }}" ''[[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]]'', November 1990, p. 51.</ref>

===Meaning in the Book of Mormon===

The Book of Mormon's title page begins, "The Book of Mormon: An account written by the hand of Mormon" ({{Sourcetext|source=Book of Mormon (1981) |book=Introduction}}). According to the book, [[Mormon (prophet)|Mormon]] compiled nearly 1000 years of writings as well as chronicled events during his lifetime. Most of the text of the Book of Mormon consists of this compilation and his own writings.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.comeuntochrist.org/beliefs/book-of-mormon |title=The Book of Mormon |access-date=2020-04-06 |archive-date=2020-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406092810/https://www.comeuntochrist.org/beliefs/book-of-mormon |url-status=live }}</ref> However, the name ''Mormon'' is also used in the Book of Mormon as a place name (e.g. [[Waters of Mormon]]).
{{Sourcetext|source=Book of Mormon (1981) |book=Mormon|chapter= 1}}:5 states, "And I, Mormon, being a descendant of Nephi, (and my father's name was Mormon)...", whereas {{Sourcetext|source=Book of Mormon (1981) |book=3 Nephi|chapter= 5}}:12 states, "And behold, I am called Mormon, being called after the land of Mormon, the land in which Alma did establish the church among the people yea, the first church which was established among them after their transgression."  Based on these verses, Latter-day Saint scholar David Lamb interprets the name of the Book of Mormon to mean "Book of the Restoration of the Covenant":
<blockquote>[The prophet] Mormon was not named after his father; he was named after the land of Mormon. He had been taught about his heritage by his parents and understood the sacred significance associated with the name Mormon. No doubt his father also bore the name Mormon for the same reason. In 3 Nephi 5:12 he gives us a clear indication that the name Mormon is symbolically synonymous with the restoration of the covenant which took place in the land of Mormon by Alma and his people.

A study of the Introduction of the Book of Mormon tells us its main purpose is to restore a knowledge of the covenants to the house of Israel. This adds weight to the understanding that the name Mormon was always associated with the place of the restoration of the covenant to the Nephites. In fact, the name Mormon became synonymous with the concept of restoring the covenants.

In light of this understanding, the Book of Mormon is not named for a man. It is named for the place where the covenant was restored. Symbolically, the Book of Mormon bears the name 'Book of the Restoration of the Covenant.'"<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ancientamerica.org/library/media/HTML/0f0zoh9w/The%20Meaning%20of%20the%20Name%20Mormon.htm |title=AncientAmerica.org: The Meaning of the Name Mormon |access-date=2020-04-06 |archive-date=2020-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218071245/http://www.ancientamerica.org/library/media/HTML/0f0zoh9w/The%20Meaning%20of%20the%20Name%20Mormon.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref></blockquote>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|Mormon}}

{{LDSaffiliation}}
{{Portal bar|Christianity|Latter Day Saint movement}}

[[Category:Latter Day Saint terms]]
[[Category:Mormonism]]
[[Category:Linguistic controversies]]

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