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An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2013

Origins Available: English, Irish

Where did the Irish Day family come from? What is the Irish Day family crest and coat of arms? When did the Day family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Day family history?

All Irish surnames have a unique and often romantic meaning. The name Day originally appeared in Gaelic as O Deaghaidh or O Diaghaidh.

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During the Middle Ages, a standardized literary language known by the general population of Ireland was a thing of fiction. When a person's name was recorded by one of the few literate scribes, it was up that particular scribe to decide how to spell an individual's name. So a person could have several spelling variations of his name recorded during a single lifetime. Research into the name Day revealed many variations, including Day, Dea, O'Dea and others.

First found in County Clare, where O'Dea was chief of Dysart-O'Dea, now the parish of Dysart, barony of Inchiquin, one of the original chiefs and clans of ancient Thomond.


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This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Day research. Another 396 words(28 lines of text) covering the years 1318 and 1434 are included under the topic Early Day History in all our PDF Extended History products.

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Another 280 words(20 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Day Notables in all our PDF Extended History products.

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The 18th century saw the slow yet steady emigration of Irish families to British North America and the United States. Those early Irish settlers that left their homeland were typically moderately well off: they were enticed by the promise of a sizable plot of land. However, by the 1840s, this pattern of immigration was gone: immigrants to North America were seeking refuge from the starvation and disease that the Great Potato Famine of that decade brought. The great numbers of Irish that arrived to the United States and the soon to be Canada were instrumental in their quick development as powerful industrial nations. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists uncovered many early immigrants bearing the name Day:

Day Settlers in the United States in the 17th Century


  • Anthony Day, who landed in Massachusetts in 1635
  • Dorothy Day, aged 17, landed in Virginia in 1635
  • Hanna Day, aged 20, landed in America in 1635
  • Jo Day, aged 16, arrived in Barbados in 1635
  • Jon Day, who landed in Virginia in 1636


Day Settlers in the United States in the 18th Century


  • Anne Day, who arrived in Virginia in 1701-1702
  • Martha Day, who landed in Virginia in 1705
  • Robert Day, who arrived in America in 1764
  • Andrew Day, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765

Day Settlers in the United States in the 19th Century


  • Redmond Day, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816
  • Gabriel Day, who arrived in New York in 1835
  • Joseph Day, who landed in New York in 1836
  • Botheny Day, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1839
  • William Day, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1845


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  • Edmund Ezra Day (1883-1951), American economist and educator, president of Cornell University (1937-1949)
  • William Rufus Day (1849-1923), American diplomat, jurist, and politician, Secretary of State (1898) and Supreme Court justice (1903-1922)
  • Clarence Shepard Day Jr. (1874-1935), American writer
  • J Edward Day (1914-1996), American administrator, Postmaster General (1961-1963), who oversaw the introduction of ZIP codes
  • William R. Day, American Secretary of State
  • Dorothy Day (1897-1980), American writer and radical social reformer
  • Colonel George Everett "Bud" Day (b. 1925), former U.S. Air Force pilot who served during the Vietnam War. He is often cited as being the most decorated U.S. service member since General Douglas MacArthur, having received some seventy decorations
  • Stockwell Day (b. 1950), Canadian politician
  • Alan Day, Economist
  • Raymond Day, Cabinet Minister

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  • Day unto Day: A Study of the Day Family in America by Margery Frances Day Hanson.
  • Descendants of Christopher Day of Bucks County, Pennsylvania by James Edward Day.
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  1. Kennedy, Patrick. Kennedy's Book of Arms. Canterbury: Achievements, 1967. Print.
  2. Magnusson, Magnus. Chambers Biographical Dictionary 5th edition. Edinburgh: W & R Chambers, 1990. Print.
  3. MacLysaght, Edward. Mores Irish Familes. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0).
  4. Chadwick, Nora Kershaw and J.X.W.P Corcoran. The Celts. London: Penguin, 1970. Print. (ISBN 0140212116).
  5. Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8).
  6. Weis, Frederick Lewis, Walter Lee Sheppard and David Faris. Ancestral Roots of Sixty Colonists Who Came to New England Between 1623 and 1650 7th Edition. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0806313676).
  7. Johnson, Daniel F. Irish Emigration to New England Through the Port of Saint John, New Brunswick Canada 1841-1849. Baltimore, Maryland: Clearfield, 1996. Print.
  8. Read, Charles Anderson. The Cabinet of Irish Literature Selections from the Works of the Chief Poets, Orators and Prose Writers of Ireland 4 Volumes. London: Blackie and Son, 1884. Print.
  9. MacLysaght, Edward. Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7).
  10. Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Galveston Texas 1896-1951. National Archives Washington DC. Print.
  11. ...

The Day Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Day Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 13 April 2013 at 23:39.

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