On the second Sunday in the sunshine-filled month of May, Americans recognize and celebrate Mother’s Day. Let’s be real: moms are the true MVPs. They do the most for their families and the people they love—quite a busy, low-paying and sometimes thankless job. However, moms do it with the utmost love, pride and class. As such, they more than deserve to be pampered to the nines and beyond on Mother’s Day.
Mother’s Day was not always recognized in the U.S., however. Mother’s Day first dates back to 1908, but was not recognized as an official holiday until 1914. Today, Mother’s Day has become a holiday in which Americans go all out for their moms. And there are plenty of interesting Mother’s Day facts and statistics alike that you may not have been aware of.
Whether you’re planning a nice meal at your mom’s favorite restaurant or are hosting a family gathering to celebrate, surprise all the guests in the group by sharing these 25 Mother’s Day facts and statistics.
Related: The Ultimate Mother’s Day Food and Drink Gift Guide for Every Type of Mom
25 Interesting Mother’s Day Facts
1. Mother’s Day became an official U.S. holiday in 1914, signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson.
2. Mother’s Day is celebrated in the U.S. on the second Sunday of May, every year.
3. There are more than 100 countries around the world that celebrate or recognize Mother’s Day on their respective dates.
4. Americans spend more than $3 billion on flowers and plants alone for Mother’s Day.
5. Mother’s Day makes up 26 percent of all holiday purchases for flower shops and florists.
6. More phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than on any other day of the year, with approximately 122 million phone calls being made.
7. Anna Jarvis founded Mother’s Day in 1908 before it was officially signed into law.
8. Anna Jarvis, the original founder of Mother’s Day, came to dislike what Mother’s Day became in the U.S.: commercialized. She publicly denounced it and organized lawsuits, boycotts and walkouts.
9. Americans buy $113 million worth of cards for Mother’s Day.
Related: 30 Funny Mother’s Day Cards To Give Her The Best Gift This Year—Laughter!
10. In the U.S., Mother’s Day is one of the most popular days for both church services and dining in restaurants.
11. Mothers will certainly appreciate any flowers they receive, but a single carnation is the traditional Mother’s Day flower.
12. On average, Americans spend more money on Mother’s Day than they do on Father’s Day.
13. The longest-recorded pregnancy lasted 375 days.
14. The sound of a mother’s voice has been proven to lower their child’s cortisol levels while raising their level of oxytocin.
15. Mother’s Day is the third largest card-sending holiday.
16. There are over 2 billion mothers around the globe.
17. The words “mom,” “ma,” and “mama” are fairly universal words for “mother” because babies’ first words typically start with “m” sounds.
18. The average mother will have changed approximately 7,300 diapers by the time her baby turns two and a half.
19. One of the earliest known Mother’s Day celebrations dates back to Ancient Greece, in the celebration of Rhea—the goddess of motherhood and fertility.
20. The most common Mother’s Day gifts include cards, flowers, spa visits and experiences with family.
21. The youngest mother recorded in history was just 5 years old, while the oldest was 74 years old.
22. Approximately 385,000 babies are born every day.
23. The heaviest baby ever born, on record, weighed 22 pounds, 8 ounces.
24. Americans are estimated to spend around $36 billion on Mother’s Day in 2023.
25. A study published in 2020 found that mothers pregnant with girls were more likely to get nauseous than mothers pregnant with boys.
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