Presidents’ Day: 4 facts about the federal holiday

The name game

Over time, Presidents’ Day has come to represent a holiday that celebrates United States presidents in general, especially Washington and Lincoln. 

However, the holiday’s name has never officially been changed to “Presidents’ Day,” with efforts to formally alter the appellation of the observance failing. It is still formally known as “Washington’s Birthday,” although many people refer to the day as “Presidents’ Day.”

“By the mid-1980s, Washington’s Birthday was known to many Americans as Presidents’ Day. This shift had solidified in the early 2000s, by which time as many as half the 50 states had changed the holiday’s name to Presidents’ Day on their calendars,” noted History.com.

“For its part, the federal government has held fast to the original incarnation of the holiday as a celebration of the country’s first president. The third Monday in February is still listed on official calendars as Washington’s Birthday.”