Sunday is a day name that carries weight disproportionate to its two syllables. Named for the sun — from Old English sunnandæg, "day of the sun" — it's been used as a given name at the fringes of American naming for decades before Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban chose it for their daughter in 2008. With 2,920 SSA records and a 2024 peak, Sunday is still climbing.
Old English: The Sun's Day
Sunday takes its name from the celestial body — via the Old English calque of the Latin dies Solis (day of the sun). In the Christian calendar, Sunday became the Lord's Day, adding religious significance to the astronomical origin. As a given name, Sunday carries both the natural/celestial meaning and the Sabbath-rest quality — a day of light, peace, and beginning-again. Old English day names have a direct quality that's hard to improve on: the meaning is exactly what it says.
Celebrity Use and Cultural Moment
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban naming their daughter Sunday Rose Kidman Urban in 2008 was the name's most visible celebrity endorsement. Nicole Kidman's consistent cultural presence since then has kept Sunday in circulation as an aspirational choice. More recently, Sunday has benefited from the broader trend of unusual word names, alongside Wednesday, Moon, and Story, that feel bold but semantically clear. Check rising names to see where Sunday sits in the current landscape.
Counter-Reading: Day Name Quirks
A day name ties a person to a specific weekly time marker in a way that most names don't, which can feel whimsical or slightly awkward depending on the bearer's experience. "Meet my daughter Sunday" creates an immediate conversational hiccup for some people. If the day name appeal is there but Sunday feels too specific, Dawn or Aurora capture the morning/sun energy without the weekday identity.