Archive · 18 Sep 2026
Why Friday Is Named After Frigg and Venus
Friday is the name of one day in the week.
In English, its name comes from an old word meaning “Frigg’s day.”
Frigg was a goddess in the beliefs of ancient Scandinavian people.
She was connected with family, marriage, wisdom and the future.
The Romans connected the same day with Venus, their goddess of love and beauty.
They called it dies Veneris, or “day of Venus.”
Different languages kept one of these goddess connections in their names for Friday.
In Hindi, Shukravaar means “the day of Venus.”
The English name Friday comes from the Old English word Frīġedæġ, meaning “Frigg’s day.”
Frigg was a Norse goddess associated with marriage, motherhood, family life, wisdom and the future.
Romans called Friday dies Veneris, meaning “day of Venus,” after their goddess of love and beauty.
Several European languages, including French, Spanish and Italian, retain a connection to Venus in their names for Friday.
Hindi Shukravaar comes from the Sanskrit-associated name Shukra for Venus, combined with vaar, meaning “day.”
- Who
- Frigg, a Norse goddess, and Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty, are associated with the name of Friday.
- What
- The article explains the origins of the word Friday and related names in different languages.
- When
- The article was last updated on September 18, 2026.
- Where
- The naming traditions come from Old English, Norse, Roman, European and Sanskrit-influenced language traditions.
- Why
- Friday was named according to different cultural traditions associating the day with Frigg or Venus.
- English origin
- Friday comes from the Old English Frīġedæġ, meaning “Frigg’s day.”
- Norse association
- Frigg was associated with marriage, motherhood, family life, wisdom and the future.
- Roman name
- The Latin dies Veneris means “day of Venus.”
- Venus
- Venus was the Roman goddess of love and beauty.
- European examples
- French uses Vendredi, Spanish uses Viernes and Italian uses Venerdì.
- German example
- Friday is Freitag in German.
- Hindi name
- Shukravaar combines Shukra, associated with Venus, and vaar, meaning “day.”