On June 17, 1917 delegates met in Chicago to select the name for the new organization. Melvin Jones was convinced that the lion stood for strength, courage, fidelity and vital action. On a secret ballot the name Lions was chosen over several others.

The name Lions stands not only for fraternity, good fellowship, strength of character and purpose, but above all, its combination of L-I-O-N-S heralds to the country the true meaning of citizenship: LIBERTY, INTELLIGENCE, OUR NATION’S SAFETY.

Our name was not selected at random, neither was it a coined name. From time immemorial, the lion has been the symbol of all that was good, and because of the symbolism that name was chosen. Four outstanding qualities Courage, Strength, Activity and Fidelity had largely to do with the adoption of the name. The last mentioned of these qualities, Fidelity has a deep and peculiar significance for all Lions. The lion symbol has been a symbol of Fidelity through the ages and among all nations, ancient and modern. It stands for loyalty to a friend, loyalty to a principle, loyalty to a duty, loyalty to a trust. The emblem consists of a gold letter “L” on a circular area. Bordering this is a circular area with two Lion profiles facing away from the center. The word “Lions” appears at the top and “International” at the bottom. The Lions face both past and future showing both pride of heritage and confidence in the future.
The following are specified Pantone colors for Lion logos:

1. One color logo: PMS 287
2. Two color logo: PMS 287 & PMS 7406