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How to get the day name from a date in Excel and Google Sheets
Excel & Google Sheets
=TEXT(A2,"dddd")Try it with your data
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Step by step
- 1Ensure your dates in column A are real date values (not text).
- 2In the output cell type =TEXT(A2,"dddd") and press Enter.
- 3The formula returns the full day name in the spreadsheet's language (e.g., Monday, Tuesday).
- 4For a 3-letter abbreviation (Mon, Tue), use =TEXT(A2,"ddd") instead.
- 5Alternatively use =CHOOSE(WEEKDAY(A2,2),"Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday","Friday","Saturday","Sunday") for an explicit, localizable list.
Tips
- To get the day name in a specific language regardless of locale, use the CHOOSE+WEEKDAY approach with hardcoded names in the target language.
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Frequently asked
What is the difference between 'ddd' and 'dddd'?
'ddd' returns a 3-letter abbreviation (Mon, Tue, Wed) while 'dddd' returns the full name (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday).
Can I get the day name in a language other than English?
TEXT() returns the day name in the system's locale language. For a fixed language, use CHOOSE(WEEKDAY(A2,2),…) with manually entered names in the desired language.