February 29 had the fewest February births in these historical U.S. records: 52,561 from 1994 through 2014. There were only 5 leap days in that period. February 14 had the most, with 245,412 births across 21 occurrences.
Compare February birthdays
February 29 had the fewest births and February 14 the most among February dates in these U.S. records. Choose two dates to see how far apart they are.
CDC/NCHS + SSA via FiveThirtyEight · 1994–2014 · 85,712,738 births
February 29
- Within February
- #29 of 29
- Across the whole year
- #366 of 366
- Recorded births
- 52,561
- Share of all births
- 0.061%
Both ranks count from most common (#1) to rarest. Ties share a rank.
February 29 had 78.6% fewer recorded births than February 14 (52,561 versus 245,412).
Open February 29 in the birthday checkerAll 29 February birthdays ranked
Month rank compares only February dates. Overall rank compares all 366 dates, including February 29. #1 is most common in both columns.
| Date | Month rank | Overall rank | Births | Share of all births |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 1 | #14 | #249 | 230,364 | 0.269% |
| February 2 | #11 | #237 | 230,984 | 0.269% |
| February 3 | #23 | #295 | 228,433 | 0.267% |
| February 4 | #17 | #265 | 229,815 | 0.268% |
| February 5 | #26 | #332 | 225,276 | 0.263% |
| February 6 | #24 | #309 | 227,576 | 0.266% |
| February 7 | #3 | #165 | 235,078 | 0.274% |
| February 8 | #5 | #196 | 233,186 | 0.272% |
| February 9 | #20 | #277 | 229,501 | 0.268% |
| February 10 | #9 | #215 | 232,075 | 0.271% |
| February 11 | #8 | #213 | 232,129 | 0.271% |
| February 12 | #16 | #261 | 229,853 | 0.268% |
| February 13 | #28 | #344 | 223,590 | 0.261% |
| February 14 | #1 | #62 | 245,412 | 0.286% |
| February 15 | #2 | #153 | 235,803 | 0.275% |
| February 16 | #12 | #245 | 230,634 | 0.269% |
| February 17 | #22 | #292 | 228,667 | 0.267% |
| February 18 | #13 | #246 | 230,532 | 0.269% |
| February 19 | #27 | #335 | 224,904 | 0.262% |
| February 20 | #19 | #273 | 229,574 | 0.268% |
| February 21 | #7 | #212 | 232,134 | 0.271% |
| February 22 | #4 | #182 | 234,170 | 0.273% |
| February 23 | #15 | #256 | 230,208 | 0.269% |
| February 24 | #18 | #269 | 229,723 | 0.268% |
| February 25 | #10 | #231 | 231,342 | 0.270% |
| February 26 | #25 | #324 | 226,182 | 0.264% |
| February 27 | #21 | #288 | 228,866 | 0.267% |
| February 28 | #6 | #197 | 233,125 | 0.272% |
| February 29 | #29 | #366 | 52,561 | 0.061% |
February 29 occurred 5 times in this period; every other February date occurred 21 times. Total-birth ranks and births-per-occurrence ranks answer different questions.
Which February birthday is rarest if you leave out leap day?
February 13 has the fewest births among the 28 February dates that occur every year: 223,590. It ranks #344 across all 366 dates. In both rankings, #1 means most common.
February 29's 52,561 births occurred on just 5 dates. That works out to 10,512.2 births per leap day. It remains February's lowest date on that measure, but its overall rank moves from #366 by total births to #347 by births per occurrence. The full leap-day explanation shows the calendar calculation.
Is February 14 common?
February 14 leads the month and ranks #62 across the year. Its total was 5.1% above the average of February 7 and February 21. Those dates are one week before and after February 14, so they share its weekday within each year.
The records cannot explain the gap: they do not include delivery method or scheduling decisions. Choose February 14 and another date above to compare their counts directly.
What do the February ranks and shares mean?
February rank compares 29 month/day combinations by total recorded births. Overall rank compares 366 combinations. February 29's total includes five actual occurrences in this 21-year period; every other February date includes 21. A non-leap year has no February 29, rather than an observed date with zero births. The U.S. Naval Observatory explains which years have a leap day.
Birth share divides each date's count by all 85,712,738 births in these records, including births outside February. To compare February as a whole with other months, use the birth-month guide. You can look up any date in the birthday checker.
Sources and limits
The counts come from daily U.S. birth files compiled by FiveThirtyEight, using CDC/NCHS 1994 through 1999 and SSA 2000 through 2014. We exclude the overlapping CDC years. February contributes 6,511,697 births to the total.
The two sources have different administrative coverage. These rankings describe historical U.S. records; they do not estimate how many people alive today have any February birthday. The methodology explains the data and rank calculations.
A closer look at individual dates
Is February 3 really nobody's birthday?
February 3 is not an empty birthday date: historical U.S. records contain 228,433 births. Check its rank, nearby dates and year-by-year evidence.
Is February 10 a rare birthday?
February 10 ranks #215 of 366 dates in historical U.S. birth records, 1994–2014. It is slightly above nearby same-weekday dates, but the evidence is weak.
Is Valentine's Day a rare birthday?
February 14 leads February and ranks 62nd in historical U.S. records. See its yearly comparison with nearby weekdays and what separate research found.
Is February 22 a rare birthday?
February 22 ranks #182 of 366 dates in historical U.S. birth records, 1994–2014. After matching weekdays, it looks much like nearby dates.
Is February 28 a rare birthday?
February 28 occurs every year and sits near the middle of the historical U.S. birthday ranking. Compare leap years, February 29 and March 1.