Aunt and Uncle Day 2027 is on Monday

About Aunt and Uncle Day

Aunts and uncles often play a role that parents can't: a trusted adult who isn't in charge of homework or curfews, a source of family stories, sometimes a backup caregiver or a mentor. In many families the titles also go to close family friends. The day is a nudge for nieces and nephews, of any age, and for parents to say thanks.

The origin of the July 26 date is unknown. No founder, organization or proclamation is on record, and a library column in Louisiana's Bossier Press-Tribune described it simply as an unofficial holiday celebrated each July 26. A separate, documented observance runs close by: Auntie's Day, which lifestyle writer Melanie Notkin, founder of the Savvy Auntie community, set on the fourth Sunday in July in 2009. Hers honors aunts specifically, including women without children of their own who play an aunt's role in children's lives. Because the fourth Sunday in July always lands between July 22 and 28, the two days are never more than a few days apart.

The words themselves are old. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, "uncle" entered English in the late 1200s from Old French, which took it from the Latin avunculus, meaning a mother's brother. "Aunt" arrived around 1300 through Anglo-French, ultimately from the Latin amita, a father's sister. Latin used different words for aunts and uncles on each side of the family, while English uses one word for both.

Sources: Bossier Press-Tribune: At the Library, Here's to Aunts and Uncles, Scary Mommy: National Auntie's Day and Melanie Notkin's Savvy Auntie, Online Etymology Dictionary: uncle, Online Etymology Dictionary: aunt. How we check dates.

How to mark Aunt and Uncle Day

• Call or write to an aunt or uncle who made a difference when you were growing up and tell them what you remember.
• Help young children draw a picture or record a short video for their aunts and uncles.
• Invite aunts and uncles to a summer cookout or plan a simple outing with your nieces and nephews.
• Ask an older aunt or uncle to share stories about your parents as children, and write them down.
• Thank a family friend who has acted as an honorary aunt or uncle to your kids.

Aunt and Uncle Day dates