What Is the Rarest Birthday? Discover the Rarest Birthday Among All Birthdays

Have you ever wondered if your birthday makes you extra special and part of a rare birth cohort?

What is the rarest birthday might surprise you more than you think. Some dates are incredibly uncommon compared to others throughout the year; these birth dates contribute to the least common birthday patterns and the overall birthday rarity.

Certain winter holidays and leap year dates stand out as the rarest birthday frequencies. Major celebration days also rank among the least common birth dates worldwide, highlighting birthday frequency trends.

These dates are rare for two main reasons that affect birth rate and birthdates across populations.

First, fewer births are naturally born during major holidays when hospitals have less staff.

Second, many doctors avoid scheduling planned births and surgeries on these special celebration days, influencing birth dates overall.

Let’s explore which birthdays are truly the most unusual and why these rare birth dates happen so rarely in terms of birth rate and birthday frequency.

The Rarest Birthday of All Time – rarest birth

february 29th, also known as Leap Day, is hands down the rarest birthday of them all. But why?

Because it only comes around once every four years, making this a classic example of a rare birthdate.

That’s right, people born on this day have to wait four long years to celebrate their actual birthday! So, just how rare is a february 29th birthday in terms of birth dates?

Let’s do the math. For context, data on average yearly births worldwide are around 140 million, illustrating how leap day births are a tiny fraction in the birth rate.

A year typically has 365 days, but leap years have an extra date added to keep our calendar in sync with the Earth’s orbit around the sun.

This means that leap day babies only get a chance to celebrate their true birthday once every 1,461 days, a tiny blip in the birth rate.

That’s a long time waiting for the cake and presents! To put it in perspective, the odds of being born on february 29th in terms of a birth date are about 1 in 1,461.

That means out of the roughly 7.8 billion people in the world, only about 5 million of them are leap day babies. It’s like winning a rare birthday lottery among all births.

Famous faces who hit this rare birthday jackpot include actor Dennis Farina, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, and musician Ja Rule.

But perhaps the most well-known rare birth is Superman. That’s right, the fictional Man of Steel’s birthday is canonically February 29th.

Talk about a super-rare birthday!

Other Rare Birthday Dates – birthday rarity

Beyond the rarest birthday, several other dates are surprisingly uncommon too. Let’s take a look at some of them, including february and november birth dates across the calendar.

1. December 25th (Christmas Day) – least common birthday

Many people assume that December 25th would be a common birthday, but it’s actually quite the opposite. In fact, it’s one of the least common birthday dates in the United States. This could be due to the fact that many doctors and hospitals try to avoid scheduling deliveries on major holidays, including christmas day.

Sir Isaac Newton, English mathematician and physicist
Humphrey Bogart, American actor
Shane MacGowan, Irish singer and songwriter (The Pogues)
Jimmy Buffett, American singer and songwriter
Annie Lennox, Scottish singer (Eurythmics)

2. December 31st (New Year’s Eve) – birthday rarity

New Year’s Eve is a time for celebration, as people gather to bid farewell to the current year and welcome the new one. Unlike kid’s birthday activities, which are often centered around daytime fun and games, New Year’s Eve festivities are typically geared towards adults and take place late into the night. Many people attend parties, watch fireworks displays, or join in other festivities. With so much going on, it’s not surprising that December 31st is one of the less common birthdays. Hospitals may have reduced staff, and many people may be preoccupied with their New Year’s plans. birth dates and birthday frequency are influenced by holidays.

Val Kilmer, American actor
Diane von Fürstenberg, Belgian fashion designer
Donna Summer, American singer and songwriter
Anthony Hopkins, Welsh actor

3. January 1st (New Year’s Day) – rare birthday

Paul Revere, American patriot
Betsy Ross, American seamstress credited with making the first American flag
J.D. Salinger, American author (The Catcher in the Rye)
Verne Troyer, American actor (Austin Powers films)
Grandmaster Flash, Barbadian-American hip hop DJ and rapper

4. April 1st (April Fool’s Day) – rare date

April Fool’s Day is known for pranks, jokes, and general silliness. While it’s all in good fun, the association with foolishness and trickery may make some people less enthusiastic about having a birthday on this day. Additionally, some people might be wary of celebrating on a day known for practical jokes, which could contribute to the lower number of births on April 1st. april as a quirky birthday date.

Susan Boyle, Scottish singer
Sergey Rachmaninoff, Russian composer and pianist
Toshiro Mifune, a Japanese actor
Wallace Beery, American actor

5. May 22nd – rare birth

According to a Harvard University study, May 22nd is the least common birthday in the United States. The reason for this is unclear, but it could be due to the fact that it falls in the middle of a relatively unpopular month for births. In the broader data, this reflects birthday frequency across months such as november and may.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, British writer (creator of Sherlock Holmes)
Laurence Olivier, English actor and director
Richard Wagner, German composer
Naomi Campbell, British model and actress
Ginnifer Goodwin, American actress (Once Upon a Time)

6. July 4th (Independence Day) – rare birthday

Another holiday that sees fewer births is July 4th. Again, this could be attributed to the fact that many people are busy celebrating the holiday, and hospitals may have reduced staff. In july, families often plan gatherings, and this can influence birth dates around this holiday.

Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States
Malia Obama, daughter of former U.S. President Barack Obama
Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress
Neil Simon, American playwright and screenwriter
Geraldo Rivera, American journalist and attorney

7. September 11th – rare date

September 11th has seen a notable decrease in birth rates since the tragic events of 2001, making it a less common birthday. In november, December 31st and April 1st are among other less frequent birth dates. Further, november 27th can also see fewer births due to family gatherings.

Harry Connick Jr., American singer, pianist, and actor
Moby, American musician, singer, and songwriter
Ludacris, American rapper and actor
Virginia Madsen, American actress

8. November 27th (Thanksgiving Day) – birthday frequency

Thanksgiving is a major holiday in the United States, typically celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It’s a time for families to gather, feast on traditional foods, and express gratitude. Unlike planning a birthday party, which can be a joyous and exciting event, Thanksgiving is a more solemn and reflective holiday. In some years, November 27th falls on Thanksgiving Day. With many people traveling and focusing on family gatherings, it’s understandable that fewer babies are born on this day. Hospitals may also have reduced staff due to the holiday. data on births and birthdays helps explain this birthday frequency.

Jimi Hendrix, American musician and songwriter
Bruce Lee, Hong Kong-American actor and martial artist
Bill Nye, American science educator and television presenter
Caroline Kennedy, American author and diplomat

Conclusion

In this blog post, we’ve learned that february 29th is the least common birthday, with other dates like december 25th, january 1st, and november 27th also showing lower birth rates across birth dates and birthdays. Across the year, from january through december, these patterns hold in data around the globe.

Many notable people were born on these rare birth dates, showing that the day you were born doesn’t define your potential.

Regardless of whether your birthday is common or rare, what matters most is your life and the person you become.

Celebrate your birthday proudly, and celebrate birthdays everywhere, knowing that it’s a special day just for you.