Fun Facts About the Name Day
- 308 babies named Day: U.S. records list 308 babies given the name Day from 1880 through 2025. Even 142 boys received the name Day.
What Does the Name Day Mean?
Day is an English word name meaning "day" or "daytime." It comes from Old English dæg, the ordinary noun for a day, which developed into Middle English day and modern English day. The name is not a translation of a foreign word; it is the English noun used as a personal name. An English surname Day also exists. It has been explained as a nickname from the same noun - perhaps for a person of bright or cheerful disposition, or for one who worked by day - and as a surname from the Old English personal name Dæga, formed from the same element. The given name can be understood as a transferred surname or as a direct word name. Symbolic ideas such as "a new beginning" are later associations, not the name's etymology.
Day Name History & Origins
The noun behind the name is old in English. Old English dæg (with plural forms such as dagas) meant "day" or "daytime"; it belongs to the Germanic family that also produced Old Norse dagr and Old High German tag. In Middle English the word appears as day, dai, and daie, and it passed with the same meaning into modern English day. The surname Day is also established in England; its derivation is not certain and may involve either the noun or an Old English personal name. The first name Day uses the English word, or the surname built from it, as a personal name.
How Popular is the Name Day?
Day has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1973. Its best rank was #3,148 in 1932.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #15,481 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2022 | #11,456 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #15,693 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #14,571 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #13,247 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #13,425 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #15,442 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #17,678 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #15,998 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #13,963 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #15,643 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #13,687 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #9,257 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #8,700 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #6,760 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1975 | #6,636 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #5,077 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1973 | #4,621 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1972 | #7,492 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1971 | #5,202 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1970 | #6,490 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #6,797 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #3,837 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1942 | #4,226 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,966 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #11,182 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #12,505 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #12,916 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #8,028 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #6,969 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #6,494 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #4,703 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #4,418 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #4,867 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #4,532 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #3,617 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #3,532 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #3,850 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1944 | #3,537 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1942 | #3,679 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1940 | #3,561 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1937 | #3,642 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1932 | #3,148 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1925 | #3,484 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1922 | #3,599 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1920 | #4,451 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1918 | #4,324 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1916 | #3,594 | 6 | 0.0007% |
| 1915 | #3,496 | 6 | 0.0007% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Day Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are strong in material matters, determined and stubborn. You have good business ability. You are a good worker, steady and practical, a builder who takes responsibility well. These qualities may bring you a position of authority and power. You are a doer, down-to-earth, serious-minded, reliable, and self-disciplined; have good power of concentration. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Day's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Day's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.