diff --git a/packages/opentelemetry-sdk-trace-base/src/Span.ts b/packages/opentelemetry-sdk-trace-base/src/Span.ts
index 665fbf59ab..e3e37d8213 100644
--- a/packages/opentelemetry-sdk-trace-base/src/Span.ts
+++ b/packages/opentelemetry-sdk-trace-base/src/Span.ts
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ export class Span implements APISpan, ReadableSpan {
     links: Link[] = [],
     startTime?: TimeInput,
     _deprecatedClock?: unknown, // keeping this argument even though it is unused to ensure backwards compatibility
-    initAttributes?: SpanAttributes
+    attributes?: SpanAttributes
   ) {
     this.name = spanName;
     this._spanContext = spanContext;
@@ -121,8 +121,8 @@ export class Span implements APISpan, ReadableSpan {
     this.instrumentationLibrary = parentTracer.instrumentationLibrary;
     this._spanLimits = parentTracer.getSpanLimits();
 
-    if (initAttributes != null) {
-      this.setAttributes(initAttributes);
+    if (attributes != null) {
+      this.setAttributes(attributes);
     }
 
     this._spanProcessor = parentTracer.getActiveSpanProcessor();
diff --git a/packages/opentelemetry-sdk-trace-base/test/common/Span.test.ts b/packages/opentelemetry-sdk-trace-base/test/common/Span.test.ts
index 3018eb6ef6..09dfea1b94 100644
--- a/packages/opentelemetry-sdk-trace-base/test/common/Span.test.ts
+++ b/packages/opentelemetry-sdk-trace-base/test/common/Span.test.ts
@@ -1054,11 +1054,11 @@ describe('Span', () => {
       assert.ok(started);
     });
 
-    it('include initial attributes in onStart', () => {
-      let initAttributes;
+    it('include attributes in onStart', () => {
+      let attributes;
       const processor: SpanProcessor = {
         onStart: span => {
-          initAttributes = { ...span.attributes };
+          attributes = { ...span.attributes };
         },
         forceFlush: () => Promise.resolve(),
         onEnd() {},
@@ -1072,7 +1072,7 @@ describe('Span', () => {
       provider
         .getTracer('default')
         .startSpan('test', { attributes: { foo: 'bar' } });
-      assert.deepStrictEqual(initAttributes, { foo: 'bar' });
+      assert.deepStrictEqual(attributes, { foo: 'bar' });
     });
 
     it('should call onEnd synchronously when span is ended', () => {
@@ -1244,7 +1244,7 @@ describe('Span', () => {
       });
     });
 
-    describe('when initial attributes are specified', () => {
+    describe('when attributes are specified', () => {
       it('should store specified attributes', () => {
         const span = new Span(
           tracer,