Show ContentsSunday History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The origins of the Sunday name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in the residence that was near the sands. Sunday is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. During the Middle Ages people were very conscious of the variations in their surroundings including the soil types. In this case the original bearers of the surname Sunday were named due to their close proximity to the sands.

Early Origins of the Sunday family

The surname Sunday was first found in Worcestershire at Wickhamford, a parish, in the union of Evesham, Upper division of the hundred of Blackenhurst. "The church [of Wickhamford] is an exceedingly neat edifice, with a simple unpretending tower which rises prettily above the trees that environ it: in the chancel are two enriched altar-tombs with effigies in alabaster, in memory of the Sandys family, whose descendant, Lord Sandys, in 1841 repaired the entire church." 1 "About a mile from the church [of Woodham-Ferris in Essex] is Edwin Hall, a handsome mansion erected by Edwin Sandys, Archbishop of York." 1

"At Lanarth, [in the parish of St. Keverne, Cornwall] which has been in possession of the Sandys family upwards of a century, an elegant house has been lately built by its present proprietor Lieutenant Colonel William Sandys, who spent the spring of his life in India, in those active scenes which mark and diversify the military occupation. His house, gardens, and grounds, have been raised to their present state of perfection at a vast expence; and they include every convenience which a retired situation can be expected to secure." 2

Early History of the Sunday family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sunday research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1377, 1519, 1559, 1560, 1570, 1576, 1577, 1586, 1588, 1591, 1607, 1609, 1614, 1615, 1621, 1622, 1623, 1640, 1642, 1644, 1660, 1661, 1669, 1681, 1685, 1702 and 1708 are included under the topic Early Sunday History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sunday Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Sunday were recorded, including Sandys, Sands, Sandy and others.

Early Notables of the Sunday family

Notables of the family at this time include Edwin Sandys (1519-1588), an English prelate, Bishop of Worcester (1559-1570), London (1570-1576) and Archbishop of York (1576-1588) Archbishop of York; his son, George Sandys (1577-1644), an English traveler, colonist and poet; Sir Samuel Sandys (1560-1623), an English landowner and politician, Member of Parliament for Ripon (1586) and Worcestershire (1609-1622); Sir Edwin Sandys (1591-1623)...
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sunday Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sunday Ranking

In the United States, the name Sunday is the 10,290th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Ireland Migration of the Sunday family to Ireland

Some of the Sunday family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Sunday migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Sunday family emigrate to North America:

Sunday Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Sunday, aged 35, who arrived in Mobile County, Ala in 1850 4
  • Charles Sunday, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1864 4
  • Conrad Sunday, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1868 4
  • Henry E Sunday, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1883 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Sunday (post 1700) +

  • John C. Sunday, American politician, Candidate for Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Allegheny County 2nd District, 1908 5
  • Billie Sunday Farnum (1916-1979), U.S. Representative and labor leader from Michigan
  • Billie Sunday Farnum (1916-1979), American Democratic Party politician, Michigan State Auditor General, 1961-64; U.S. Representative from Michigan 19th District, 1965-67; Defeated, 1966 6


The Sunday Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Probum non poenitet
Motto Translation: We do not repent of what is good.


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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