Washington's Birthday is the official name designated to what many of us know as Presidents’ Day. However, two presidential birthdays take place in February -- George Washington was born on Feb. 22 and Abraham Lincoln was born on Feb. 12.

Washington's birthday has been publicly celebrated since his presidential term, before Lincoln was even born. Much of the debate over the holiday’s name is because each state could follow its own holidays and many chose to also honor Lincoln, thereby referring to the day as Presidents’ Day.

In 1968, the term Presidents Day came up for legal consideration in the Congress but was rejected, though the date of the holiday was moved to fall between the two birthdays. In the 1980s, there was a resurgence of the term with advertisers, which solidified the holiday name in American culture.

Source:Patriotism.org