who was the mother of valentine's day

February 13, 2026

The phrase “mother of Valentine’s Day” usually refers to Esther A. Howland , an American businesswoman from Worcester, Massachusetts, who is widely called the “mother of the American valentine.”

Quick answer

There is no single “mother” who invented Valentine’s Day itself; the day grew from Christian traditions around Saint Valentine and later medieval romantic customs.

The woman most often nicknamed the “mother of Valentine’s Day” (or “mother of the American valentine”) is Esther Howland, who popularized ornate, mass-produced Valentine cards in the U.S. in the mid‑1800s.

Who was Esther Howland?

Esther A. Howland (1828–1904) lived in Worcester, Massachusetts and started producing elaborate lace-and-paper valentines in the 1840s.

She built a successful business (often called the New England Valentine Company) that turned exchanging valentines into a big commercial tradition in the United States.

Because her designs and marketing helped make card‑giving central to the holiday, she is remembered as the “mother of the American valentine.”

So, who was the “mother of Valentine’s Day”?

If someone online asks “who was the mother of Valentine’s Day,” they are almost always pointing to:

Esther A. Howland – “mother of the American valentine,” who revolutionized and commercialized Valentine cards, not the religious feast day itself.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.