# Day (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/day/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic derived from a medieval diminutive of David.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 105,091 |
| US rank (2010) | 294 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 2,938 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.4% (101,676 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /deɪ/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

This surname has multiple origins. Besides the ones listed below, Norman origin has also been suggested from De Haie", or "a corruption of the Normandy French D'Ossone, from the town of Ossone, in Normandy".

## Who carries it

Share of people named Day in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 83% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 10% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.0% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.1% |
| Two or more races | 2.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Day in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Germany and British Raj.

## People named Day

- Doris Day, American actress and singer (1922–2019)
- Dorothy Day, American journalist, social activist, and Catholic convert (1897-1980)
- Sandra Day O'Connor, American lawyer and jurist (1930–2023)
- Charlie Day, American actor, writer and producer (born 1976)
- Andra Day, American singer
- Felicia Day, American actress
- Laraine Day, American actress (1920–2007)
- Marceline Day, American actress (1908–2000)
- Kayla Day, American female tennis player
- Lynda Day George, American actress
- Ellen Day Hale, American Impressionist painter (1855-1940)
- Charles Day, American rower (1914–1962)

and 30 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Dao, Dai, Daw, Dau, Daye, Do, Dye, Dow, Dewey, Du, Doe, Dee.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.