To show the weekday name for a date — “Monday,” “Tue” — use the TEXT function with a day format. No lookup table, no IF chain.
"dddd" gives the full name (“Monday”); "ddd" gives the short form (“Mon”).
The example
Dates with their day names.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Date | Full | Short |
| 2 | 6/1/2026 | Monday | Mon |
| 3 | 6/13/2026 | Saturday | Sat |
The formula
The full and short day names:
How it works
TEXT formats the date’s serial number as a day name:
- Every date is a serial number that knows its weekday.
TEXT(A2, "dddd")renders that as the full day name in your locale — “Monday.”"ddd"gives the three-letter abbreviation — “Mon.”- The result is text. If you need a number for sorting or math, use WEEKDAY instead.
Want a number? =WEEKDAY(A2, 2) returns 1 for Monday through 7 for Sunday — use it to sort by weekday or feed into other formulas.
Try it: interactive demo
Pick a date; see its day name.
Variations
Short name
Three letters:
Weekday number (for sorting)
Monday=1 with type 2:
Name via CHOOSE
If you want custom labels:
Pitfalls & errors
TEXT returns text. You can’t sort it Mon→Sun chronologically (it sorts alphabetically). Sort by WEEKDAY number instead.
Language follows your locale. “dddd” shows day names in Excel’s language settings — not always English.
Text dates fail. TEXT needs a real date serial; a text date returns the input unchanged or an error.
Practice workbook
Frequently asked questions
How do I get the day name from a date in Excel?
How do I get a weekday number instead of a name?
Why does my weekday name sort in the wrong order?
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