Explore the Family Name Day
The meaning of Day
1. English: occupational name from Middle English day(e), dey(e) ‘dairyman or dairymaid’. Originally used only of women, it was later used of men with the sense ‘man in charge of the dairy cattle’. This is probably the most common source of the surname. 2. English: from the Middle English personal name Day(e) or Dey. In western England this is probably a pet form of David, but in northern England and perhaps elsewhere also it is a late Middle English variant of Daw, a pet form of Ralph (see Daw, Dakin). 3. Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Deaghaidh (see O’Dea). 4. Scottish: from an Anglicized form of the Gaelic personal name Daìdh, a colloquial form of David. 5. Welsh: from the personal name Dai, a pet form of the personal name Dafydd, Welsh form of David. 6. French: habitational name from a place call Day in the Ardennes. 7. French: possibly also a habitatonal name, with fused preposition d(e) ‘of, from’, denoting someone from Ay in Marne. 8. German: variant of Dey and, in North America, (also) an altered form of this. History: This name was brought independently from various parts of Britain to New England by many unrelated bearers from the 17th century onward. Robert Day was one of the founders of Hartford, CT, in 1635 (coming from Cambridge, MA with Thomas Hooker). — It was also brought independently from various parts of Germany by several unrelated bearers, including Phillip Day from Bavaria, who by 1895 lived in Newport, Campbell County, KY.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Day in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Day has seen a slight decrease in popularity between the years 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked 271st most popular in the United States, but by 2010 it had dropped to 294th place, recording an 8.49% decrease. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of people with the Day surname increased during this period from 101,676 to 105,091, marking a 3.36% increase. The proportion per 100,000 people also decreased slightly from 37.69 in 2000 to 35.63 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #271 | #294 | -8.49% |
| Count | 101,676 | 105,091 | 3.36% |
| Proportion per 100k | 37.69 | 35.63 | -5.47% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Day
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some changes for those bearing the Day surname between 2000 and 2010. While the majority identified as White (85.18% in 2000 decreasing to 83.08% in 2010), there were notable increases among other ethnic identities. The percentage identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander rose from 0.70% to 1.02%, while those reporting Two or More Races increased from 1.46% to 1.97%. There was a significant increase in those identifying as Hispanic, growing from 1.57% to 2.40%. The Black population with the Day surname saw a modest growth from 10.12% to 10.44%, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native group increased from 0.97% to 1.08%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 85.18% | 83.08% | -2.47% |
| Black | 10.12% | 10.44% | 3.16% |
| Hispanic | 1.57% | 2.4% | 52.87% |
| Two or More Races | 1.46% | 1.97% | 34.93% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.97% | 1.08% | 11.34% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.7% | 1.02% | 45.71% |
Day ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Day is British & Irish, which comprises 55.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.6%) and Scandinavian (3.4%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 55.7% |
| French & German | 23.6% |
| Scandinavian | 3.4% |
| Other | 17.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Day
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Day have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 88.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 88.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 88.10% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 88.00% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 87.90% |
What Day haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Day is R-L2, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L2 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include I-Z138 and J-L283, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Fisher, Green, Smith, Baker, Young, Hill, Gross, Meyer, White, Cook.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Day surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Day have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Day" Surname 42.2%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Day" Surname 28.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Day" Surname 24.1%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Cat Allergy
An allergic reaction to cats, characterized by symptoms such as sneezing, itching, and difficulty breathing.
"Day" Surname 34.7%
23andMe Users 36.7%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Day?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Day are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition