The rarest birthdays in the U.S.
February 29 is the rarest birthday overall, because it only exists in leap years. About 1 in 1,553 Americans have it. Among dates that come around every year, December 25 is the rarest, with an average of 6,601 births a day, followed by January 1 and December 24.
Why holidays are so quiet
Babies do not read calendars, but hospitals do. About a third of U.S. births are by C-section and many more are induced, which means a large share of deliveries can be planned. Doctors and families tend to plan them around Christmas, New Year's and the Fourth of July.
You can see this in the ranking. The list below is mostly holidays and the days next to them, and Thanksgiving week drags down several November dates because the holiday moves around.
Dates people avoid on purpose
Not every quiet date is a holiday. The 13th of each month falls below its neighbors, Halloween drops sharply and April Fools' Day ranks near the bottom. Most births are not scheduled, yet the small share that are can still move these national averages.
The 50 least common dates
Ranked by daily average. Feb. 29 appears lower down this table because its daily average is close to normal, even though the date itself is the rarest.
| Rank | Date | Births a day | Vs. typical |
|---|---|---|---|
| 366th | December 25 | 6,601 | -41% |
| 365th | January 1 | 7,827 | -30% |
| 364th | December 24 | 8,103 | -27% |
| 363rd | July 4 | 8,825 | -21% |
| 362nd | January 2 | 9,356 | -16% |
| 361st | December 26 | 9,599 | -14% |
| 360th | November 27 | 9,770 | -13% |
| 359th | November 23 | 9,919 | -11% |
| 358th | November 25 | 10,001 | -10% |
| 357th | October 31 | 10,030 | -10% |
| 356th | November 24 | 10,053 | -10% |
| 355th | November 26 | 10,092 | -10% |
| 354th | November 28 | 10,141 | -9% |
| 353rd | April 1 | 10,335 | -8% |
| 352nd | December 23 | 10,383 | -7% |
| 351st | April 13 | 10,416 | -7% |
| 350th | May 26 | 10,425 | -7% |
| 349th | December 31 | 10,433 | -7% |
| 348th | July 5 | 10,442 | -7% |
| 347th | February 29 | 10,512 | -6% |
| 346th | January 15 | 10,589 | -5% |
| 345th | January 29 | 10,611 | -5% |
| 344th | February 13 | 10,647 | -5% |
| 343rd | January 8 | 10,656 | -5% |
| 342nd | January 13 | 10,657 | -5% |
| 340th (tied) | April 6 | 10,669 | -5% |
| 340th (tied) | January 16 | 10,669 | -5% |
| 339th | January 9 | 10,672 | -4% |
| 338th | April 27 | 10,694 | -4% |
| 337th | March 13 | 10,697 | -4% |
| 336th | November 22 | 10,709 | -4% |
| 335th | February 19 | 10,710 | -4% |
| 334th | January 22 | 10,719 | -4% |
| 333rd | May 27 | 10,720 | -4% |
| 332nd | February 5 | 10,727 | -4% |
| 331st | May 13 | 10,729 | -4% |
| 330th | January 19 | 10,733 | -4% |
| 329th | March 30 | 10,743 | -4% |
| 328th | May 4 | 10,746 | -4% |
| 327th | April 20 | 10,747 | -4% |
| 326th | May 31 | 10,757 | -4% |
| 325th | April 29 | 10,767 | -4% |
| 323rd (tied) | March 23 | 10,771 | -4% |
| 323rd (tied) | February 26 | 10,771 | -4% |
| 322nd | April 30 | 10,772 | -4% |
| 321st | May 11 | 10,774 | -4% |
| 320th | December 7 | 10,783 | -3% |
| 319th | January 30 | 10,794 | -3% |
| 318th | November 13 | 10,797 | -3% |
| 317th | October 13 | 10,800 | -3% |
Want the crowded end? See the most common birthdays.
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