diff --git a/packages/middleware-retry/src/configurations.ts b/packages/middleware-retry/src/configurations.ts
index da81a5e46a4e..c0c7ddd8b492 100644
--- a/packages/middleware-retry/src/configurations.ts
+++ b/packages/middleware-retry/src/configurations.ts
@@ -3,26 +3,26 @@ import { ExponentialBackOffStrategy } from "./defaultStrategy";
 
 export interface RetryInputConfig {
   /**
-   * The maximum number of times requests that encounter potentially transient failures should be retried
+   * The maximum number of times requests that encounter retryable failures should be attempted.
    */
-  maxRetries?: number;
+  maxAttempts?: number;
   /**
    * The strategy to retry the request. Using built-in exponential backoff strategy by default.
    */
   retryStrategy?: RetryStrategy;
 }
 export interface RetryResolvedConfig {
-  maxRetries: number;
+  maxAttempts: number;
   retryStrategy: RetryStrategy;
 }
 export function resolveRetryConfig<T>(
   input: T & RetryInputConfig
 ): T & RetryResolvedConfig {
-  const maxRetries = input.maxRetries === undefined ? 3 : input.maxRetries;
+  const maxAttempts = input.maxAttempts === undefined ? 3 : input.maxAttempts;
   return {
     ...input,
-    maxRetries,
+    maxAttempts,
     retryStrategy:
-      input.retryStrategy || new ExponentialBackOffStrategy(maxRetries)
+      input.retryStrategy || new ExponentialBackOffStrategy(maxAttempts)
   };
 }
diff --git a/packages/middleware-retry/src/defaultStrategy.ts b/packages/middleware-retry/src/defaultStrategy.ts
index bb7d41a21960..ad95c87c462c 100644
--- a/packages/middleware-retry/src/defaultStrategy.ts
+++ b/packages/middleware-retry/src/defaultStrategy.ts
@@ -35,34 +35,35 @@ export interface DelayDecider {
 
 export class ExponentialBackOffStrategy implements RetryStrategy {
   constructor(
-    public readonly maxRetries: number,
+    public readonly maxAttempts: number,
     private retryDecider: RetryDecider = defaultRetryDecider,
     private delayDecider: DelayDecider = defaultDelayDecider
   ) {}
-  private shouldRetry(error: SdkError, retryAttempted: number) {
-    return retryAttempted < this.maxRetries && this.retryDecider(error);
+  private shouldRetry(error: SdkError, attempts: number) {
+    return attempts < this.maxAttempts && this.retryDecider(error);
   }
 
   async retry<Input extends object, Ouput extends MetadataBearer>(
     next: FinalizeHandler<Input, Ouput>,
     args: FinalizeHandlerArguments<Input>
   ) {
-    let retries = 0;
+    let attempts = 0;
     let totalDelay = 0;
     while (true) {
       try {
         const { response, output } = await next(args);
-        output.$metadata.retries = retries;
+        output.$metadata.attempts = attempts + 1;
         output.$metadata.totalRetryDelay = totalDelay;
 
         return { response, output };
       } catch (err) {
-        if (this.shouldRetry(err as SdkError, retries)) {
+        attempts++;
+        if (this.shouldRetry(err as SdkError, attempts)) {
           const delay = this.delayDecider(
             isThrottlingError(err)
               ? THROTTLING_RETRY_DELAY_BASE
               : DEFAULT_RETRY_DELAY_BASE,
-            retries++
+            attempts
           );
           totalDelay += delay;
 
@@ -74,7 +75,7 @@ export class ExponentialBackOffStrategy implements RetryStrategy {
           err.$metadata = {};
         }
 
-        err.$metadata.retries = retries;
+        err.$metadata.attempts = attempts;
         err.$metadata.totalRetryDelay = totalDelay;
         throw err;
       }
diff --git a/packages/middleware-retry/src/index.spec.ts b/packages/middleware-retry/src/index.spec.ts
index f3863aec5987..8762f29b941d 100644
--- a/packages/middleware-retry/src/index.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/middleware-retry/src/index.spec.ts
@@ -12,25 +12,25 @@ import { SdkError } from "@aws-sdk/smithy-client";
 describe("retryMiddleware", () => {
   it("should not retry when the handler completes successfully", async () => {
     const next = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue({ output: { $metadata: {} } });
-    const retryHandler = retryMiddleware(resolveRetryConfig({ maxRetries: 0 }))(
-      next
-    );
+    const retryHandler = retryMiddleware(
+      resolveRetryConfig({ maxAttempts: 0 })
+    )(next);
 
     const {
       output: { $metadata }
     } = await retryHandler({ input: {}, request: new HttpRequest({}) });
-    expect($metadata.retries).toBe(0);
+    expect($metadata.attempts).toBe(1);
     expect($metadata.totalRetryDelay).toBe(0);
 
     expect(next.mock.calls.length).toBe(1);
   });
 
   it("should stop retrying when the the maximum number of retries is reached", async () => {
-    const maxRetries = 3;
+    const maxAttempts = 3;
     const error = new Error();
     error.name = "ProvisionedThroughputExceededException";
     const next = jest.fn().mockRejectedValue(error);
-    const retryHandler = retryMiddleware(resolveRetryConfig({ maxRetries }))(
+    const retryHandler = retryMiddleware(resolveRetryConfig({ maxAttempts }))(
       next
     );
 
@@ -38,16 +38,16 @@ describe("retryMiddleware", () => {
       retryHandler({ input: {}, request: new HttpRequest({}) })
     ).rejects.toMatchObject(error);
 
-    expect(next.mock.calls.length).toBe(maxRetries + 1);
+    expect(next.mock.calls.length).toBe(maxAttempts);
   });
 
   it("should not retry if the error is not transient", async () => {
     const error = new Error();
     error.name = "ValidationException";
     const next = jest.fn().mockRejectedValue(error);
-    const retryHandler = retryMiddleware(resolveRetryConfig({ maxRetries: 3 }))(
-      next
-    );
+    const retryHandler = retryMiddleware(
+      resolveRetryConfig({ maxAttempts: 3 })
+    )(next);
 
     await expect(
       retryHandler({ input: {}, request: new HttpRequest({}) })
@@ -69,15 +69,15 @@ describe("retryMiddleware", () => {
 
     jest.mock("./delayDecider");
 
-    const maxRetries = 3;
+    const maxAttempts = 3;
     const delayDeciderMock = jest.spyOn(
       delayDeciderModule,
       "defaultDelayDecider"
     );
     const retryDecider: RetryDecider = (error: SdkError) => true;
-    const strategy = new ExponentialBackOffStrategy(maxRetries, retryDecider);
+    const strategy = new ExponentialBackOffStrategy(maxAttempts, retryDecider);
     const retryHandler = retryMiddleware({
-      maxRetries,
+      maxAttempts,
       retryStrategy: strategy
     })(next);
 
@@ -85,8 +85,8 @@ describe("retryMiddleware", () => {
 
     expect(next.mock.calls.length).toBe(3);
     expect(delayDeciderMock.mock.calls).toEqual([
-      [DEFAULT_RETRY_DELAY_BASE, 0],
-      [THROTTLING_RETRY_DELAY_BASE, 1]
+      [DEFAULT_RETRY_DELAY_BASE, 1],
+      [THROTTLING_RETRY_DELAY_BASE, 2]
     ]);
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/middleware-retry/src/retryMiddleware.ts b/packages/middleware-retry/src/retryMiddleware.ts
index 33ded6cd0d66..2bc454e80506 100644
--- a/packages/middleware-retry/src/retryMiddleware.ts
+++ b/packages/middleware-retry/src/retryMiddleware.ts
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ export const getRetryPlugin = (
   options: RetryResolvedConfig
 ): Pluggable<any, any> => ({
   applyToStack: clientStack => {
-    if (options.maxRetries > 0) {
+    if (options.maxAttempts > 1) {
       clientStack.add(retryMiddleware(options), retryMiddlewareOptions);
     }
   }
diff --git a/packages/types/src/response.ts b/packages/types/src/response.ts
index 3bcbb9759a79..4ab0525c63f0 100644
--- a/packages/types/src/response.ts
+++ b/packages/types/src/response.ts
@@ -28,9 +28,9 @@ export interface ResponseMetadata {
   cfId?: string;
 
   /**
-   * The number of times this operation was retried.
+   * The number of times this operation was attempted.
    */
-  retries?: number;
+  attempts?: number;
 
   /**
    * The total amount of time (in milliseconds) that was spent waiting between
diff --git a/packages/types/src/util.ts b/packages/types/src/util.ts
index 92083efb2973..83512cdea706 100644
--- a/packages/types/src/util.ts
+++ b/packages/types/src/util.ts
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ export interface RetryStrategy {
    * the maximum number of times requests that encounter potentially
    * transient failures should be retried
    */
-  maxRetries: number;
+  maxAttempts: number;
   /**
    * the retry behavior the will invoke the next handler and handle the retry accordingly.
    * This function should also update the $metadata from the response accordingly.