Pop Culture dictionary
Dating Sunday
[ dayt-ing suhn-dey ]
What is Dating Sunday?
Dating Sunday is an unofficial name for the first Sunday in January. It is said to be the busiest day for online dating of the year.
According to many sources, the first Sunday of January is the busiest day for online dating. This claim comes from data that consistently shows that the first Sunday in January is the day when dating apps and websites have the most traffic and sign-ups of any day during the year. Because of this significantly increased traffic and activity, a person is allegedly more likely to find a date on Dating Sunday than on any other day when using online dating.
There are several common explanations behind the phenomena of Dating Sunday. Many people make New Year’s resolutions to improve their love lives, leading them to use online dating at the start of a new year. The end of the winter holiday season also traditionally signals the beginning of the peak dating season, which typically lasts until Valentine’s Day. It is also likely that dating websites and apps themselves also contribute to Dating Sunday, including by spreading awareness of the name through marketing and promotion in order to increase their own traffic.
Where does Dating Sunday come from?
Dating Sunday is an unofficial nickname for the first Sunday in January, which is consistently the day that dating websites and apps have the highest traffic and activity.
Dating Sunday possibly originated as a marketing term from the dating website Match.com. In December 2015, “online dating expert” Julia Spira claimed on Match’s blog that the first Sunday in January was the busiest day for dating websites. Spira stated that Match “proclaimed” the day as Dating Sunday. Prior to the blog post, the term Dating Sunday was rarely used and awareness of the significance of January’s first Sunday in online dating was rarely discussed.
Over the next several years, the term Dating Sunday would slowly become more widespread due to individuals linked to Match’s public relations using it in media articles. By the early 2020s, media outlets were often using the name Dating Sunday in articles about increased activity on dating websites and apps during the first Sunday in January. Articles about Dating Sunday often cited data provided to them by Match, Tinder (which is owned by Match Group), and other online dating services.
🗓 When is Dating Sunday?
Dating Sunday is the first Sunday in January. In 2024, Dating Sunday was January 7. In 2025, Dating Sunday is on January 5.
Examples of Dating Sunday
Who uses Dating Sunday?
The term Dating Sunday is often used in articles and in online dating companies’ marketing materials. People who read these articles or use online dating are more likely to know this unofficial name for the first Sunday in January.
It’s “Dating Sunday”. Get cuffed, or die trying.
— Tracie X™ | @eicarttracie.bsky.social (@eicarttracie) January 5, 2020
Apparently yesterday was "Dating Sunday".
I didn't get the memo 🫤— Sandy Horne (@SandyHorne61) January 8, 2024
Got a notification from a dating app this morning that it's "Dating Sunday" and that I had a 17% higher chance of getting a date today. Mate, 17% of zero is still zero.
— Arthur Muddiman (@tidus9000) January 6, 2019
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of Dating Sunday like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of Dating Sunday that will help our users expand their word mastery.