Loveday is a name, thought to derive from

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

''Leofdaeg'' or alternatively ''Lief Tag''. ''Leofdaeg'' is composed of the words ''leof'' meaning dear/beloved or precious and ''daeg'' meaning day. ''Lief Tag'' literally translates to Love Day, and is thought to have existed in eastern Britain from around the 7th century. ''Loveday'' was used as a

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

during the Middle Ages in England, which has now become confined to

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, where it survives in occasional use by people such as Loveday Jenkin. The name was originally bestowed, either formally or as a nickname, with reference to a Love Day, a day appointed for a meeting between enemies and litigants with a view to an amicable settlement. The name is now only given to girls. Variant spellings include: * Daylof * Dayluue * Leuare * Leudedai * Leue * Leued * Leuedaei * Liuedai * Loue * Louedai * Loueday * Lovdie * Love * Lovedaia * Loveday * Lovedaya * Loveta * Lovota * Lowdy * Lowdie * Luueday * Luuedei * Luveday * Leofdaeg * Lief Tag

First name

* Loveday Carlyon, Cornish politician * Loveday Enyinnaya, Nigerian football player * Loveday Jenkin, Cornish politician Fictional characters * Loveday Brooke, in books by Catherine Louisa Pirkis * Loveday Carne, the daughter of Drake and Morwenna in the Poldark books by

Winston Graham Winston Mawdsley Graham OBE, born Winston Grime (30 June 1908 – 10 July 2003), was an English novelist best known for the ''Poldark'' series of historical novels set in Cornwall, though he also wrote numerous other works, including contemp ...

* Loveday Carey-Lewis, in the novel ''Coming Home'' by

Rosamunde Pilcher Rosamunde Pilcher, OBE (''née'' Scott; 22 September 1924 – 6 February 2019) was a British novelist, best known for her sweeping novels set in Cornwall. Her books have sold over 60 million copies worldwide. Early in her career she was publis ...

* Loveday De Noir, one of the main characters of the film '' The Secret of Moonacre'' * Loveday Leigh, in the novel ''The Case Is Closed'' by

Patricia Wentworth Dora Amy Turnbull (formerly Dillon, née Elles; 15 October 1877 – 28 January 1961), known by the pen name Patricia Wentworth, was a British crime fiction writer. Early life and education She was born in Mussoorie, British India, and was educa ...

* Loveday Heptane, in the Locked Tomb series by

Tamsyn Muir Tamsyn Elizabeth Muir (born 14 March 1985) is a New Zealand fantasy, science fiction, and horror author best known for ''The Locked Tomb'', a science fantasy series of novels. Muir won the 2020 Locus Award for her first novel, ''Gideon the Nint ...

Surname

Alan Loveday Alan Raymond Loveday (29 February 1928 – 12 April 2016) was a New Zealand violinist. A child prodigy, he became leader of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and a soloist and leader with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. He was a professor ...

(1928–2016), New Zealand-born violinist * Alexander Loveday, British economist *

Catherine Loveday Catherine Iris Pamela Loveday (born 1938) is an English campaigner for the recognition of the dead on London war memorials. Her work has resulted in the addition of names to the East Barnet War Memorial, East Barnet, New Barnet War Memorial, Ne ...

, British campaigner for war memorials *

Clare Loveday Clare Loveday (born 22 March 1967) is a South African contemporary classical music composer. She studied at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, and has worked as a professional pianist, a composer for the South African adverti ...

, South African classical music composer *

David Loveday David Goodwin Loveday (13 April 1896 – 7 April 1985) was an Anglican bishop during the second half of the 20th century. He was educated at Shrewsbury School, and after World War I service with the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry h ...

, English Anglican bishop * Francis Loveday (1892–1954), English cricketer * Gary Loveday (born 1964), English cricketer * Helen Loveday, Swiss university lecturer *

Henry Herbert Loveday Henry Herbert Loveday (20 May 1864 – 19 January 1913) was a British railway executive who was general manager of the Central Argentine Railway from 1895 to 1910. His father, also Henry Herbert, was a chief inspector of the Midland Railway Comp ...

, British railway administrator *

John Loveday (disambiguation) John Loveday may refer to: *John Loveday, the eponymous trumpet major of Thomas Hardy's 1880 novel ''The Trumpet-Major ''The Trumpet-Major'' is the seventh published novel by English author Thomas Hardy published in 1880, and his only historic ...

, several people *

Leigh Loveday Leigh Loveday is a Welsh video game writer and designer. Career and work Your Sinclair Loveday began his career as letter-writer and reviewer in ''Your Sinclair'' magazine in the early 1990s. His letters, which were not often focusing on video g ...

, Welsh video game writer and designer *

Mark Loveday Mark Antony Loveday (22 September 1943 – 4 September 2024) was a British businessman, the senior partner of stockbrokers Cazenove from 1994 to 2001, and the chairman of Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust from 2002 to 2010. Loveday was born ...

, British businessman *

Papis Loveday Papis Loveday (born 3 January 1977) is a Senegalese model and fashion entrepreneur. He gained fame through a United Colors of Benetton worldwide campaign in 2003. In 2011 he founded the brand Papis Loveday, which includes a fragrance line, champa ...

, Senegalese model and fashion entrepreneur *

Pete Loveday Pete Loveday was a British underground cartoonist. He is best known for his series of comics charting the adventures of hippie character Russell, including ''Big Bang Comics'', ''Big Trip Travel Agency'' and ''Plain Rapper Comix'' printed by AK P ...

, British cartoonist *

Peter Loveday Peter Loveday is an Australian singer-songwriter. Biography Peter Loveday was born and grew up in Toowoomba, Australia, before moving on to study at the University of Queensland in Brisbane in the late seventies, where he began his musical car ...

, Australian singer/songwriter *

Richard John Loveday Richard John Loveday (1818–1883) was a government surveyor during the early settlement of South Australia. Loveday was born near London on 19 December 1818. He was a lance corporal in the Royal Sappers and Miners, serving in Ireland and subse ...

(1818–1883), South Australian surveyor *

Ron Loveday Ronald Redvers Loveday (10 March 190017 January 1987) was a Labor member of the South Australian House of Assembly for the seat of Whyalla from 1956 to 1970, who was Minister for Education in the Walsh government from 1965 to 1967 and Minister ...

(1900–1987), Australian politician * Thomas Loveday, 16th-century MP for Gloucester * Thomas Loveday (university administrator), British professor of philosophy, later a university administrator Fictional Characters * Robert "Bob" Loveday, in the novel ''

The Trumpet-Major ''The Trumpet-Major'' is the seventh published novel by English author Thomas Hardy published in 1880, and his only historical novel. Hardy included it with his "romances and fantasies". It concerns the heroine, Anne Garland, being pursued by ...

'' by

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Literary realism, Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry ...

* Zack Loveday, fictional character from the soap opera ''

Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. From 2005 to 2023, episodes h ...

References

* {{given name, type=both