Discover How The Months & Days Were Named With Stikins® Name Labels

As today is the first day of a new month, we've been inspired to learn more about the names that we use for the days of the week and the months of the year. Plus, find out how Stikins® name labels offer super fast delivery all year round!

How The Months Got Their Names

Months were originally mostly named after agricultural events. Anglo-Saxon names for the months include:

• January was Aeftera Geolamonath meaning after Yule month (see December). Also Wulfmonath meaning wolf month (for hungry wolves venturing closer to human settlements in search of food). 
• February was Solmonath meaning mud month (for the muddy fields!).
• March was Hrethmonath meaning Hretha's month (for a goddess). Also Lentmonath meaning lengthening month (for the Spring Equinox that marked the start of longer days). 
• April was Eosturmonath meaning Easter month or Ēostre's month (possibly for a Saxon goddess).
• May was Thrimilcemonath meaning three-milkings month (for cows being so well fed they could be milked three times a day).
• June was Aerre Litha meaning former (first) mild (possibly for the calm winds and seas around midsummer that were good for travelling).
• July was Aeftera Litha meaning next (second) mild.
• August was Weodmonath meaning weed or grass month (for when these plants grow the most).
• September was Haligmonath meaning holy month. Also Gerstmonath meaning barley month (for when this crop was harvested).
• October was Winterfylleth meaning winter fullness (for the first full moon of winter).
• November was Blotmonath meaning sacrifice month (for sacrifices made to the gods).
• December was Geolamonath meaning Yule month (for the winter festival).

Monath means month and comes from the word for moon. Many early calendars were partly or entirely based on the moon cycle.

Our names for the months of the year come from the Romans. The Roman calendar originally had 10 months - starting with March and ending with a long winter period, which later became January and February. 

• January is named after Janus, Roman God of beginnings, endings, time, transitions, and doors. 
• February is named after the Februa festival, which purified Rome before spring began.
• March is named after Mars, Roman God of War and guardian of agriculture. It marked the start of the farming and warfare seasons.
• April is possibly named after the word aperire, which means "to open" - like plants blooming in spring.
• May is named either for Maia (Roman Goddess of Growth) or the word maiores (meaning ancestors or elders).
• June is named either for Juno (Roman Goddess of Marriage and Childbirth) or the word iuniores (meaning the young). 
• July is named after Julius Caesar (Roman General born in July). Originally known as Quintilis meaning fifth (month). 
• August is named after Augustus (first Roman Emperor). Originally known as Sextilis meaning sixth (month).
• September is named after septem meaning seven (as the seventh month).
• October is named after octo meaning eight (as the eighth month). 
• November is named after novem meaning nine (as the ninth month). 
• December is named after decem meaning ten (as the tenth month).

How The Days Got Their Names

Our names for the days of the week also have Roman origins. They named the days after the Seven Luminaries (or Classical Planets). These were objects in space, visible to the naked eye, that appeared to move across the sky over time. It was believed that slower objects were further away so they were placed in "Chaldean Order" (ranked from slowest/furthest to fastest/closest) as Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, and Moon. 

Each luminary was linked to a god and each pair "ruled" over specific hours of each day based on their position in the Chaldean Order. Each day was then named the "Day Of" (diēs) whichever pair ruled over the first hour of that day.

The hours of the first day of the week are ruled over by: 1: Saturn, 2: Jupiter, 3: Mars, 4: Sun, 5: Venus, 6: Mercury, 7: Moon, 8: Saturn, 9: Jupiter, 10: Mars, 11: Sun, 12: Venus, 13: Mercury, 14: Moon, 15: Saturn, 16: Jupiter, 17: Mars, 18: Sun, 19: Venus, 20: Mercury, 21: Moon, 22: Saturn, 23: Jupiter, 24: Mars.

This means that the first day is named after Saturn and the second day is named after the Sun (which is next in the sequence). So the days of the week were named:

• (Saturday) diēs Saturnī meaning Day of Saturn / Saturnus (God of Time, Wealth, and Agriculture). 
• (Sunday) diēs Sōlis meaning Day of Sun / Sol (God of the Sun).
• (Monday) diēs Lūnae meaning Day of Moon / Luna (Goddess of the Moon).
• (Tuesday diēs Martis meaning Day of Mars / Mars (God of War).
• (Wednesday) diēs Mercuriī meaning Day of Mercury / Mercurius (God of Boundaries, Commerce, Communication, Travellers, Thieves, and Merchants).
• (Thursday) diēs Iōvis meaning Day of Jupiter / Iuppiter - also known as Jove or Iovis (God of the Sky and Thunder).
• (Friday) diēs Veneris meaning Day of Venus / Venus (Goddess of Love, Beauty, Fertiliy, Prosperity, and Victory). 

You might be thinking that these names don't look anything like the names we use today. That's because our names come from Germanic languages, which swapped the names of the Roman Gods with their own gods. 

This means our names for the days of the week are:

• Sunday from Sunnandæg meaning Sun's Day, named for Sunna / Sól - the personification of the Sun.
• Monday from Mōnandæg meaning Moon's Day, named for Máni - the personalification of the Moon.
• Tuesday from Tīwesdæg meaning Tiw's Day, named for Tiw / Týr - God of War, Justice, and Oaths.
• Wednesday from Wōdnesdæg meaning Wōden's Day, named for Wōden / Ódinn - God of Wisdom, Knowledge, War, and Poetry. 
• Thursday from Þunresdæg meaning Þunor's Day, named for Þunor / Thor - God of Thunder, Strength, Protection, Fertility, and Farmers. 
• Friday from Frīgedæg meaning Frīg's Day, named for Frīg / Frigg - Goddess of Marriage, Prophecy, Clairevoyance, and Motherhood. 

There was no equivalent for Saturn in Germanic mythology so they adopted the Roman name and Saturnī became Sæternesdæg - or Saturday!

Stikins® Offers Super Fast Delivery All Year Round

We want our customers to receive their name labels as quickly as possible. This is why we print, pack, and post orders every week day throughout the year. The only exemptions are Bank Holidays, Easter, and Christmas.

We despatch orders received by 3pm (Monday to Friday) on the same day. Orders placed after 3pm, over the weekend, on a Bank Holiday, or during Easter & Christmas are despatched on the next working day.

We use Royal Mail’s First Class Service as our standard delivery service. This is free and around 75% of orders arrive next day. The rest take a few days extra (especially in London) BUT some may take up to seven working days for orders to arrive. If you need your order extra fast, you can order by phone and upgrade to Royal Mail's Special Delivery service. This guarantees delivery by 1pm on the next working day. We ask only that you pay what Royal Mail charge us - currently, this is £8.40. 

You can find all of our despatch and delivery information on our Despatch & Delivery Page. Alternatively, visit our online order form if you're ready to order now - it only takes a minute to do!