Fun Facts About the Name Wednesday
- More than 1 thousand babies named Wednesday: U.S. records list 1,703 babies given the name Wednesday from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Wednesday Mean?
Wednesday is an English name meaning "Woden's day," taken from the name of the weekday. It comes from Old English Wōdnesdæg, a compound of Wōden - the chief god of the Anglo-Saxon pantheon, the counterpart of Norse Óðinn - and dæg, "day." The Old English day name was formed as a loan translation of Latin dies Mercurii, "day of Mercury," which in turn translated Greek hēmera Hermou. Roman writers regularly matched foreign gods to their own, and Woden was identified with Mercury; the Germanic day name therefore put Woden's name in place of Mercury's. The literal sense is "day of Woden," not a description of the day itself. As a personal name, Wednesday is a transferred use of the weekday name rather than a name with its own root or a short form of another name.
Wednesday Name History & Origins
The English weekday names replaced Latin ones as Germanic-speaking peoples adopted the seven-day week, and the god-based names for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday correspond to the Latin days of Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus. Old English Wōdnesdæg is recorded in that form; Middle English shows spellings such as Wednesdai, and the modern spelling settled as Wednesday, with the first d no longer pronounced. Related forms appear in other Germanic languages, including Old Norse Óðinsdagr and Dutch woensdag, though German uses Mittwoch, "midweek," instead.
Weekday names are used as personal names in some traditions but are uncommon in English. The best-known American bearer is the fictional Wednesday Addams, the daughter in Charles Addams's Addams Family: the family first appeared in his cartoons in 1938, and the daughter is commonly reported to have received the name Wednesday when the family was adapted for television in 1964. That literary use is far later than the day name and is not the origin of the name. A separate tradition exists in Akan naming in Ghana, where a child born on Wednesday receives a day name such as Kwaku or Akua; that practice marks the day of birth and is not related to the English weekday word.
How Popular is the Name Wednesday?
Wednesday 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 2023. Its best rank was #1,457 in 2023.
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 | #3,970 | 37 | 0.0023% |
| 2024 | #2,425 | 75 | 0.0046% |
| 2023 | #1,457 | 153 | 0.0095% |
| 2022 | #2,017 | 97 | 0.0059% |
| 2021 | #1,799 | 113 | 0.0069% |
| 2020 | #2,340 | 76 | 0.0047% |
| 2019 | #2,329 | 78 | 0.0046% |
| 2018 | #2,706 | 64 | 0.0038% |
| 2017 | #2,631 | 67 | 0.0039% |
| 2016 | #3,225 | 51 | 0.0029% |
| 2015 | #2,885 | 61 | 0.0034% |
| 2014 | #4,095 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 2013 | #3,364 | 48 | 0.0027% |
| 2012 | #4,703 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2011 | #4,563 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2010 | #5,099 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2009 | #4,672 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2008 | #4,265 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 2007 | #5,515 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2006 | #6,583 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2005 | #11,789 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #7,812 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2003 | #12,364 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2002 | #11,072 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2001 | #10,986 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2000 | #8,015 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1999 | #8,784 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1998 | #6,704 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1997 | #5,406 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1996 | #6,383 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1995 | #6,252 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1994 | #5,440 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1993 | #4,995 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1992 | #7,497 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1991 | #7,973 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1990 | #9,225 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #8,020 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1988 | #9,223 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #11,281 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #10,653 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #9,129 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #9,000 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #6,360 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1981 | #9,087 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #6,307 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1979 | #6,683 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1978 | #5,555 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1977 | #3,609 | 21 | 0.0014% |
| 1976 | #5,205 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1975 | #4,133 | 16 | 0.0011% |
| 1974 | #3,208 | 22 | 0.0015% |
| 1973 | #3,962 | 16 | 0.0011% |
| 1972 | #3,058 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 1971 | #2,871 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 1970 | #3,108 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1969 | #3,770 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1968 | #3,784 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1967 | #3,477 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1966 | #2,667 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1965 | #3,399 | 15 | 0.0008% |
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.
Explore More Lists with Name Wednesday
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with W
How the Name Wednesday Shapes Your Personality and Life?
To express itself, you must follow the divine law of love. You have great persistence and hate to give up. You are a good mixer, charming, magnetic and intuitive. The spirituality is the key to success. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Wednesday's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Wednesday's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.