diff --git a/docs/List.md b/docs/List.md
index 40f466d7b70..a20e6fd667b 100644
--- a/docs/List.md
+++ b/docs/List.md
@@ -553,6 +553,33 @@ export const PostList = (props) => (
 ```
 {% endraw %}
 
+### Specify Sort Order
+
+By default, when the user clicks on a column header, the list becomes sorted in the ascending order. You change this behavior by setting the `sortByOrder` prop to `"DESC"`:
+
+```jsx
+// in src/posts.js
+import React from 'react';
+import { List, Datagrid, TextField } from 'react-admin';
+
+export const PostList = (props) => (
+    <List {...props}>
+        <Datagrid>
+            <ReferenceField label="Post" source="id" reference="posts" sortByOrder="DESC">
+                <TextField source="title" />
+            </ReferenceField>
+            <FunctionField
+                label="Author"
+                sortBy="last_name"
+                sortByOrder="DESC"
+                render={record => `${record.author.first_name} ${record.author.last_name}`}
+            />
+            <TextField source="body" />
+        </Datagrid>
+    </List>
+);
+```
+
 ### Permanent Filter
 
 You can choose to always filter the list, without letting the user disable this filter - for instance to display only published posts. Write the filter to be passed to the REST client in the `filter` props:
diff --git a/examples/simple/src/posts/PostList.js b/examples/simple/src/posts/PostList.js
index fa73cc50071..12b0af22a32 100644
--- a/examples/simple/src/posts/PostList.js
+++ b/examples/simple/src/posts/PostList.js
@@ -143,6 +143,7 @@ const PostList = props => {
                     <TextField source="title" cellClassName={classes.title} />
                     <DateField
                         source="published_at"
+                        sortByOrder="DESC"
                         cellClassName={classes.publishedAt}
                     />
 
@@ -151,7 +152,7 @@ const PostList = props => {
                         label="resources.posts.fields.commentable_short"
                         sortable={false}
                     />
-                    <NumberField source="views" />
+                    <NumberField source="views" sortByOrder="DESC" />
                     <ReferenceArrayField
                         label="Tags"
                         reference="tags"
diff --git a/packages/ra-core/src/controller/useListController.ts b/packages/ra-core/src/controller/useListController.ts
index 7b9cd3bb70e..a2934c57492 100644
--- a/packages/ra-core/src/controller/useListController.ts
+++ b/packages/ra-core/src/controller/useListController.ts
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ export interface ListControllerProps<RecordType = Record> {
     setFilters: (filters: any, displayedFilters: any) => void;
     setPage: (page: number) => void;
     setPerPage: (page: number) => void;
-    setSort: (sort: string) => void;
+    setSort: (sort: string, order?: string) => void;
     showFilter: (filterName: string, defaultValue: any) => void;
     total: number;
     version: number;
diff --git a/packages/ra-core/src/controller/useListParams.ts b/packages/ra-core/src/controller/useListParams.ts
index e8592514b46..4f000f5f901 100644
--- a/packages/ra-core/src/controller/useListParams.ts
+++ b/packages/ra-core/src/controller/useListParams.ts
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ interface Modifiers {
     changeParams: (action: any) => void;
     setPage: (page: number) => void;
     setPerPage: (pageSize: number) => void;
-    setSort: (sort: string) => void;
+    setSort: (sort: string, order?: string) => void;
     setFilters: (filters: any, displayedFilters: any) => void;
     hideFilter: (filterName: string) => void;
     showFilter: (filterName: string, defaultValue: any) => void;
@@ -156,8 +156,11 @@ const useListParams = ({
     }, requestSignature); // eslint-disable-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
 
     const setSort = useCallback(
-        (newSort: string) =>
-            changeParams({ type: SET_SORT, payload: { sort: newSort } }),
+        (sort: string, order?: string) =>
+            changeParams({
+                type: SET_SORT,
+                payload: { sort, order },
+            }),
         requestSignature // eslint-disable-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
     );
 
diff --git a/packages/ra-core/src/controller/useSortState.ts b/packages/ra-core/src/controller/useSortState.ts
index a921ff06f77..b55c01e996c 100644
--- a/packages/ra-core/src/controller/useSortState.ts
+++ b/packages/ra-core/src/controller/useSortState.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import { Sort } from '../types';
 export interface SortProps {
     setSortField: (field: string) => void;
     setSortOrder: (order: string) => void;
-    setSort: (sort: Sort) => void;
+    setSort: (sort: Sort, order?: string) => void;
     sort: Sort;
 }
 
@@ -116,7 +116,8 @@ export default (initialSort: Sort = defaultSort): SortProps => {
 
     return {
         setSort: useCallback(
-            (sort: Sort) => dispatch({ type: 'SET_SORT', payload: { sort } }),
+            (sort: Sort, order?: string) =>
+                dispatch({ type: 'SET_SORT', payload: { sort, order } }),
             [dispatch]
         ),
         setSortField: useCallback(
diff --git a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/ReferenceArrayField.tsx b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/ReferenceArrayField.tsx
index 3b86007d40e..290c3d117d8 100644
--- a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/ReferenceArrayField.tsx
+++ b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/ReferenceArrayField.tsx
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ ReferenceArrayField.propTypes = {
     reference: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
     resource: PropTypes.string,
     sortBy: PropTypes.string,
+    sortByOrder: fieldPropTypes.sortByOrder,
     source: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
 };
 
diff --git a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/ReferenceField.tsx b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/ReferenceField.tsx
index ddbb316fae5..7fdfac02aea 100644
--- a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/ReferenceField.tsx
+++ b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/ReferenceField.tsx
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import LinearProgress from '../layout/LinearProgress';
 import Link from '../Link';
 import sanitizeRestProps from './sanitizeRestProps';
 import { ClassNameMap } from '@material-ui/styles';
-import { FieldProps, InjectedFieldProps } from './types';
+import { FieldProps, fieldPropTypes, InjectedFieldProps } from './types';
 
 interface ReferenceFieldProps extends FieldProps, InjectedFieldProps {
     children: ReactElement;
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ ReferenceField.propTypes = {
     reference: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
     resource: PropTypes.string,
     sortBy: PropTypes.string,
+    sortByOrder: fieldPropTypes.sortByOrder,
     source: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
     translateChoice: PropTypes.oneOfType([PropTypes.func, PropTypes.bool]),
     linkType: PropTypes.oneOfType([
diff --git a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/ReferenceManyField.tsx b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/ReferenceManyField.tsx
index 7c3e2e37e31..c6a8a176292 100644
--- a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/ReferenceManyField.tsx
+++ b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/ReferenceManyField.tsx
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import {
     PaginationProps,
     SortProps,
 } from 'ra-core';
-import { FieldProps, InjectedFieldProps } from './types';
+import { FieldProps, fieldPropTypes, InjectedFieldProps } from './types';
 
 /**
  * Render related records to the current one.
@@ -138,6 +138,7 @@ ReferenceManyField.propTypes = {
     reference: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
     resource: PropTypes.string,
     sortBy: PropTypes.string,
+    sortByOrder: fieldPropTypes.sortByOrder,
     source: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
     sort: PropTypes.exact({
         field: PropTypes.string,
diff --git a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/sanitizeRestProps.ts b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/sanitizeRestProps.ts
index 394b46ab5e9..d163631562c 100644
--- a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/sanitizeRestProps.ts
+++ b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/sanitizeRestProps.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ export default (props: object): object =>
         'resource',
         'sortable',
         'sortBy',
+        'sortByOrder',
         'source',
         'textAlign',
         'translateChoice',
diff --git a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/types.ts b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/types.ts
index a91c40538e7..f7787ea2f91 100644
--- a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/types.ts
+++ b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/field/types.ts
@@ -2,9 +2,11 @@ import { Record } from 'ra-core';
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
 
 type TextAlign = 'right' | 'left';
+type SortOrder = 'ASC' | 'DESC';
 export interface FieldProps {
     addLabel?: boolean;
     sortBy?: string;
+    sortByOrder?: SortOrder;
     source?: string;
     label?: string;
     sortable?: boolean;
@@ -24,6 +26,7 @@ export interface InjectedFieldProps {
 export const fieldPropTypes = {
     addLabel: PropTypes.bool,
     sortBy: PropTypes.string,
+    sortByOrder: PropTypes.oneOf<SortOrder>(['ASC', 'DESC']),
     source: PropTypes.string,
     label: PropTypes.string,
     sortable: PropTypes.bool,
diff --git a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/input/ReferenceInput.tsx b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/input/ReferenceInput.tsx
index 1fc31b786ab..0207efddad0 100644
--- a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/input/ReferenceInput.tsx
+++ b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/input/ReferenceInput.tsx
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ interface ReferenceInputViewProps {
     resource: string;
     setFilter: (v: string) => void;
     setPagination: (pagination: Pagination) => void;
-    setSort: (sort: Sort) => void;
+    setSort: (sort: Sort, order?: string) => void;
     source: string;
     warning?: string;
 }
diff --git a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/Datagrid.js b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/Datagrid.js
index 970c32efd29..693d03a0e9c 100644
--- a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/Datagrid.js
+++ b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/Datagrid.js
@@ -127,7 +127,10 @@ const Datagrid = props => {
     const updateSort = useCallback(
         event => {
             event.stopPropagation();
-            setSort(event.currentTarget.dataset.sort);
+            setSort(
+                event.currentTarget.dataset.sort,
+                event.currentTarget.dataset.order
+            );
         },
         [setSort]
     );
diff --git a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/DatagridHeaderCell.js b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/DatagridHeaderCell.js
index e5b3a16d7f6..c7d5c83b0a3 100644
--- a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/DatagridHeaderCell.js
+++ b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/DatagridHeaderCell.js
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ export const DatagridHeaderCell = props => {
                         }
                         direction={currentSort.order === 'ASC' ? 'asc' : 'desc'}
                         data-sort={field.props.sortBy || field.props.source}
+                        data-order={field.props.sortByOrder || 'ASC'}
                         onClick={updateSort}
                         classes={classes}
                     >
diff --git a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/DatagridHeaderCell.spec.js b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/DatagridHeaderCell.spec.js
index c056d13f6f0..a89dc98f813 100644
--- a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/DatagridHeaderCell.spec.js
+++ b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/DatagridHeaderCell.spec.js
@@ -48,6 +48,42 @@ describe('<DatagridHeaderCell />', () => {
             expect(getByTitle('ra.action.sort').dataset.sort).toBe('title');
         });
 
+        it('should be change order when field has a sortByOrder props', () => {
+            const { getByTitle } = render(
+                <table>
+                    <tbody>
+                        <tr>
+                            <DatagridHeaderCell
+                                currentSort={{}}
+                                field={
+                                    <Field sortBy="title" sortByOrder="DESC" />
+                                }
+                                updateSort={() => true}
+                            />
+                        </tr>
+                    </tbody>
+                </table>
+            );
+            expect(getByTitle('ra.action.sort').dataset.order).toBe('DESC');
+        });
+
+        it('should be keep ASC order when field has not sortByOrder props', () => {
+            const { getByTitle } = render(
+                <table>
+                    <tbody>
+                        <tr>
+                            <DatagridHeaderCell
+                                currentSort={{}}
+                                field={<Field source="title" />}
+                                updateSort={() => true}
+                            />
+                        </tr>
+                    </tbody>
+                </table>
+            );
+            expect(getByTitle('ra.action.sort').dataset.order).toBe('ASC');
+        });
+
         it('should be disabled when field has no sortby and no source', () => {
             const { queryAllByTitle } = render(
                 <table>