diff --git a/packages/opentelemetry-core/src/trace/NoopSpan.ts b/packages/opentelemetry-core/src/trace/NoopSpan.ts
index cd4b7e4658..84a5cf4241 100644
--- a/packages/opentelemetry-core/src/trace/NoopSpan.ts
+++ b/packages/opentelemetry-core/src/trace/NoopSpan.ts
@@ -66,8 +66,8 @@ export class NoopSpan implements types.Span {
   // By default does nothing
   end(endTime?: types.TimeInput): void {}
 
-  // isRecordingEvents always returns false for noopSpan.
-  isRecordingEvents(): boolean {
+  // isRecording always returns false for noopSpan.
+  isRecording(): boolean {
     return false;
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/opentelemetry-core/test/trace/NoopSpan.test.ts b/packages/opentelemetry-core/test/trace/NoopSpan.test.ts
index dac450162b..468c42947d 100644
--- a/packages/opentelemetry-core/test/trace/NoopSpan.test.ts
+++ b/packages/opentelemetry-core/test/trace/NoopSpan.test.ts
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ describe('NoopSpan', () => {
 
     span.updateName('my-span');
 
-    assert.ok(!span.isRecordingEvents());
+    assert.ok(!span.isRecording());
     assert.deepStrictEqual(span.context(), {
       traceId: INVALID_TRACEID,
       spanId: INVALID_SPANID,
diff --git a/packages/opentelemetry-core/test/trace/NoopTracer.test.ts b/packages/opentelemetry-core/test/trace/NoopTracer.test.ts
index cd93d5b548..892e082105 100644
--- a/packages/opentelemetry-core/test/trace/NoopTracer.test.ts
+++ b/packages/opentelemetry-core/test/trace/NoopTracer.test.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ describe('NoopTracer', () => {
     assert.deepStrictEqual(
       tracer.startSpan('span-name2', {
         kind: SpanKind.CLIENT,
-        isRecordingEvents: true,
+        isRecording: true,
       }),
       NOOP_SPAN
     );
diff --git a/packages/opentelemetry-node/test/NodeTracer.test.ts b/packages/opentelemetry-node/test/NodeTracer.test.ts
index 069d4980e2..0cffd80c0d 100644
--- a/packages/opentelemetry-node/test/NodeTracer.test.ts
+++ b/packages/opentelemetry-node/test/NodeTracer.test.ts
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ describe('NodeTracer', () => {
       const span = tracer.startSpan('my-span');
       assert.ok(span instanceof NoRecordingSpan);
       assert.strictEqual(span.context().traceFlags, TraceFlags.UNSAMPLED);
-      assert.strictEqual(span.isRecordingEvents(), false);
+      assert.strictEqual(span.isRecording(), false);
     });
 
     // @todo: implement
diff --git a/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/src/BasicTracer.ts b/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/src/BasicTracer.ts
index 5e6bff441b..a9936df1a8 100644
--- a/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/src/BasicTracer.ts
+++ b/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/src/BasicTracer.ts
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ export class BasicTracer implements types.Tracer {
       ? TraceFlags.SAMPLED
       : TraceFlags.UNSAMPLED;
     const spanContext = { traceId, spanId, traceFlags, traceState };
-    const recordEvents = options.isRecordingEvents || false;
+    const recordEvents = options.isRecording || false;
     if (!recordEvents && !samplingDecision) {
       this.logger.debug('Sampling is off, starting no recording span');
       return new NoRecordingSpan(spanContext);
diff --git a/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/src/Span.ts b/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/src/Span.ts
index 618b860775..c59b96b460 100644
--- a/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/src/Span.ts
+++ b/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/src/Span.ts
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ export class Span implements types.Span, ReadableSpan {
     this._spanProcessor.onEnd(this);
   }
 
-  isRecordingEvents(): boolean {
+  isRecording(): boolean {
     return true;
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/src/SpanProcessor.ts b/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/src/SpanProcessor.ts
index 633cfc1e56..74c3fb078e 100644
--- a/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/src/SpanProcessor.ts
+++ b/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/src/SpanProcessor.ts
@@ -22,14 +22,14 @@ import { Span } from '@opentelemetry/types';
  */
 export interface SpanProcessor {
   /**
-   * Called when a {@link Span} is started, if the `span.isRecordingEvents()`
+   * Called when a {@link Span} is started, if the `span.isRecording()`
    * returns true.
    * @param span the Span that just started.
    */
   onStart(span: Span): void;
 
   /**
-   * Called when a {@link Span} is ended, if the `span.isRecordingEvents()`
+   * Called when a {@link Span} is ended, if the `span.isRecording()`
    * returns true.
    * @param span the Span that just ended.
    */
diff --git a/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/test/BasicTracer.test.ts b/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/test/BasicTracer.test.ts
index ff44b9219b..44af7ba31e 100644
--- a/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/test/BasicTracer.test.ts
+++ b/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/test/BasicTracer.test.ts
@@ -251,10 +251,10 @@ describe('BasicTracer', () => {
       const tracer = new BasicTracer({
         sampler: NEVER_SAMPLER,
       });
-      const span = tracer.startSpan('my-span', { isRecordingEvents: true });
+      const span = tracer.startSpan('my-span', { isRecording: true });
       assert.ok(span instanceof Span);
       assert.strictEqual(span.context().traceFlags, TraceFlags.UNSAMPLED);
-      assert.strictEqual(span.isRecordingEvents(), true);
+      assert.strictEqual(span.isRecording(), true);
     });
 
     it('should not create real span when not sampled and recording events false', () => {
@@ -262,10 +262,10 @@ describe('BasicTracer', () => {
         sampler: NEVER_SAMPLER,
         logger: new NoopLogger(),
       });
-      const span = tracer.startSpan('my-span', { isRecordingEvents: false });
+      const span = tracer.startSpan('my-span', { isRecording: false });
       assert.ok(span instanceof NoRecordingSpan);
       assert.strictEqual(span.context().traceFlags, TraceFlags.UNSAMPLED);
-      assert.strictEqual(span.isRecordingEvents(), false);
+      assert.strictEqual(span.isRecording(), false);
     });
 
     it('should not create real span when not sampled and no recording events configured', () => {
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ describe('BasicTracer', () => {
       const span = tracer.startSpan('my-span');
       assert.ok(span instanceof NoRecordingSpan);
       assert.strictEqual(span.context().traceFlags, TraceFlags.UNSAMPLED);
-      assert.strictEqual(span.isRecordingEvents(), false);
+      assert.strictEqual(span.isRecording(), false);
     });
 
     it('should create real span when sampled and recording events true', () => {
@@ -284,10 +284,10 @@ describe('BasicTracer', () => {
         sampler: ALWAYS_SAMPLER,
         scopeManager: new NoopScopeManager(),
       });
-      const span = tracer.startSpan('my-span', { isRecordingEvents: true });
+      const span = tracer.startSpan('my-span', { isRecording: true });
       assert.ok(span instanceof Span);
       assert.strictEqual(span.context().traceFlags, TraceFlags.SAMPLED);
-      assert.strictEqual(span.isRecordingEvents(), true);
+      assert.strictEqual(span.isRecording(), true);
     });
 
     it('should set default attributes on span', () => {
diff --git a/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/test/Span.test.ts b/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/test/Span.test.ts
index 79997a8e90..45b9650876 100644
--- a/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/test/Span.test.ts
+++ b/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/test/Span.test.ts
@@ -93,13 +93,13 @@ describe('Span', () => {
     assert.strictEqual(context.traceFlags, TraceFlags.SAMPLED);
     assert.strictEqual(context.traceState, undefined);
     assert.ok(context.spanId.match(/[a-f0-9]{16}/));
-    assert.ok(span.isRecordingEvents());
+    assert.ok(span.isRecording());
     span.end();
   });
 
-  it('should return true when isRecordingEvents:true', () => {
+  it('should return true when isRecording:true', () => {
     const span = new Span(tracer, name, spanContext, SpanKind.CLIENT);
-    assert.ok(span.isRecordingEvents());
+    assert.ok(span.isRecording());
     span.end();
   });
 
diff --git a/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/test/export/BatchSpanProcessor.test.ts b/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/test/export/BatchSpanProcessor.test.ts
index 1ebbe468e9..e4ef7f55ef 100644
--- a/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/test/export/BatchSpanProcessor.test.ts
+++ b/packages/opentelemetry-tracing/test/export/BatchSpanProcessor.test.ts
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ function createUnSampledSpan(spanName: string): Span {
     sampler: NEVER_SAMPLER,
     logger: new NoopLogger(),
   });
-  const span = tracer.startSpan(spanName, { isRecordingEvents: false });
+  const span = tracer.startSpan(spanName, { isRecording: false });
   span.end();
   return span as Span;
 }
diff --git a/packages/opentelemetry-types/src/trace/SpanOptions.ts b/packages/opentelemetry-types/src/trace/SpanOptions.ts
index aa84497dfe..c396d2df46 100644
--- a/packages/opentelemetry-types/src/trace/SpanOptions.ts
+++ b/packages/opentelemetry-types/src/trace/SpanOptions.ts
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@ export interface SpanOptions {
   /** A spans attributes */
   attributes?: Attributes;
 
-  /** Indicates that events are being recorded for a span */
-  isRecordingEvents?: boolean;
+  /** Indicates that if this Span is active and recording information like events with the `AddEvent` operation and attributes using `setAttributes`. */
+  isRecording?: boolean;
 
   /**
    * A parent SpanContext (or Span, for convenience) that the newly-started
diff --git a/packages/opentelemetry-types/src/trace/span.ts b/packages/opentelemetry-types/src/trace/span.ts
index 0db3ef4e0d..fd0e4cf12a 100644
--- a/packages/opentelemetry-types/src/trace/span.ts
+++ b/packages/opentelemetry-types/src/trace/span.ts
@@ -102,5 +102,5 @@ export interface Span {
    * @returns true if this Span is active and recording information like events
    * with the AddEvent operation and attributes using setAttributes.
    */
-  isRecordingEvents(): boolean;
+  isRecording(): boolean;
 }