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Authority and accountability · Claim record

The name 'Jehovah's witnesses' was adopted by resolution at the Columbus, Ohio convention on 26 July 1931; before that the movement used 'Bible Students', 'International Bible Students' Association' (from 1910) and 'Associated Bible Students' (from 1914).

Claim ID claim-authority-1931-name-jehovahs-witnesses-adoptedConcerns 26 July 1931Context
Context · 26 July 1931 Verified

The name 'Jehovah's witnesses' was adopted by resolution at the Columbus, Ohio convention on 26 July 1931; before that the movement used 'Bible Students', 'International Bible Students' Association' (from 1910) and 'Associated Bible Students' (from 1914). Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom (book), 1993The Watchtower, 15 August 1955

Show the evidence (2 sources)
Primary JW publication Verified

Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom (book), “Chapter 11: How We Came to Be Known as Jehovah’s Witnesses”

1993 · pp.149-158 · p. 151 (earlier names); p. 156 (1931 resolution) · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania

“starting in 1910, they used the name International Bible Students’ Association with reference to their meetings. In 1914, in order to avoid confusion with their recently formed legal corporation called International Bible Students Association, they adopted the name Associated Bible Students [p. 151] … we desire to be known as and called by the name, to wit, Jehovah’s witnesses.—Isa. 43:10-12 [p. 156]”

Resolution 'A New Name' presented by J. F. Rutherford on 26 July 1931 at Columbus, Ohio.

Official source

Provenance and verification note

Confidence note. Opened the WOL document; page markers confirm pp. 151 and 156 (brief's p. 156 is correct).

Corroborated by. src-w-1955-0815-publishing-under-new-name

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-jv-1993-0000-how-we-came-to-be-known

Primary JW publication Verified

The Watchtower, “Part 16—Publishing Under a New Name, Theocratically”

15 August 1955 · pp.489-492 · p. 490 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania

“At the Columbus (Ohio) convention in 1931 (July 24-30) some 15,000 attended, to adopt the resolution embracing the new name, JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES”

Part of the 'Modern History of Jehovah's Witnesses' series.

Official source

Provenance and verification note

Confidence note. Opened the WOL document; page marker confirms p. 490.

Corroborated by. src-jv-1993-0000-how-we-came-to-be-known

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-w-1955-0815-publishing-under-new-name

Claim page

A direct link to this claim is https://jwtruth.org/evidence/claim-authority-1931-name-jehovahs-witnesses-adopted/. Every source above opens the original document or the best available copy. If you believe the wording, date or context is wrong, report an error.