Origins of the Names of the Days of the Week: Latin and Other Languages

Days of the Week Names

November 12, 2021

Where did the names of the days of the week come from? The names originated with the ancient Romans, who used the Latin words for the Sun, the Moon, and the five known planets! Our English names also reflect the influence of the Anglo-Saxons (and other Germanic peoples). Learn all about the days of the week origins.

In naming the seven days of the week as checkpoints in time, the ancient Romans choose seven celestial bodies that could be seen with the naked eye: the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. For example, “Sunday” is the Sun’s day and “Monday” is the Moon’s day.

When it comes to the English names that we use today for days of the week, we can also see the influence of the Anglo-Saxons and the old German gods. For example, “Wednesday ” comes from Woden, the Anglo-Saxon king of the gods; in Saxon, the name is “Wodnesdaeg.” (Now you know why Wednesday is spelled that way!)

See the complete days of the week origins across multiple languages.

English	Latin	French	Italian	Spanish	Saxon
SUNDAY	dies Solis (Sol’s day. Sol was an ancient Roman sun god.)	dimanche (from the Latin for “Lord’s day”)	domenica (from the Latin for “Lord’s day”)	domingo (from the Latin for “Lord’s day”)	Sunnandaeg (Sun’s day. Day of Sun)
MONDAY	dies Lunae (Luna’s day. Luna was an ancient Roman moon goddess.)	lundi	lunedì	lunes	Monandaeg (Moon’s day. Day of Moon.)
TUESDAY	dies Martis (Mars’s day. Mars was an ancient Roman god of war.)	mardi	martedì	martes	Tiwesdaeg (Tiw’s day. Tiw was an Anglo-Saxon god of war.)
WEDNESDAY	dies Mercurii (Mercury’s day. Mercury was a messenger of the ancient Roman gods, and a god of commerce.)	mercredi	mercoledì	miércoles	Wodnesdaeg (Woden was the Anglo-Saxon king of the gods.)
THURSDAY	dies Jovis (Jupiter’s, or Jove’s, day. Jupiter, or Jove, was the king of the ancient Roman gods, and a god of sky and thunder.)	jeudi	giovedì	jueves	Thursdaeg (Thor’s day. Thor was a Norse god of thunder, lightning, and storms.)
FRIDAY	dies Veneris (Venus’s day. Venus was the ancient Roman goddess of love.)	vendredi	venerdì	viernes	Frigedaeg (Frigga’s day. Frigg was a Norse goddess of home, marriage, and fertility.)
SATURDAY	dies Saturni (Saturn’s day)	samedi (from the Latin for “Sabbath”)	sabato (from the Latin for “Sabbath”)	sábado (from the Latin for “Sabbath”)	Saeterndaeg (Saturn’s day. Saturn was an ancient Roman god of fun and feasting.)