What is the American flag called?

The American flag is typically referred to simply as "the American flag;" however, it was originally named "the Stars and Stripes" when first approved in 1777. The flag initially had 13 stars and 13 stripes to represent the number of colonies at the time, but both the amount of stars and stripes have changed over time.

As colonies became states and new states were added to the United States, the flag was changed to reflect them. The first major changes were in the late 1790s when two stripes and two stars were added. By 1960, when Hawaii became a state, the flag was altered to contain 50 total stars.