The idea of Father’s Day was conceived slightly more than a century ago by Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Wash., while she listened to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left to raise his six children on a farm. A day in June was chosen for the first Father’s Day celebration, June 17, 1910, proclaimed by Spokane’s mayor because it was the month of Smart’s birth.  

The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson designated the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Father’s Day has been celebrated annually since 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed the public law that made it permanent.

Following are key statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau in honor of Father's Day. 

How Many Fathers?

70.1 million
Estimated number of fathers across the nation in 2008, the most recent year for which data are available. 

24.7 million
Number of fathers who were part of married-couple families with children younger than 18 in 2014. 

1.9 million
Number of single fathers in 2014; 16 percent of single parents were men.

211,000
Estimated number of stay-at-home dads in 2014.

For more key statistics in honor of Father's Day, including popular places to purchase gifts for Dad, please go to the latest issue of the Census Bureau's Facts for Features.