Compare January birthdays
January 1 had the fewest births and January 24 the most among January 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
January 1
- Within January
- #31 of 31
- Across the whole year
- #364 of 366
- Recorded births
- 164,362
- Share of all births
- 0.192%
Both ranks count from most common (#1) to rarest. Ties share a rank.
January 1 had 29.5% fewer births than January 24 (164,362 versus 233,021).
Open January 1 in the birthday checkerAll 31 January birthdays ranked
Month rank compares only January 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | #31 | #364 | 164,362 | 0.192% |
| January 2 | #30 | #361 | 196,481 | 0.229% |
| January 3 | #17 | #301 | 228,259 | 0.266% |
| January 4 | #3 | #207 | 232,354 | 0.271% |
| January 5 | #7 | #241 | 230,826 | 0.269% |
| January 6 | #11 | #268 | 229,776 | 0.268% |
| January 7 | #9 | #254 | 230,233 | 0.269% |
| January 8 | #27 | #343 | 223,766 | 0.261% |
| January 9 | #24 | #339 | 224,116 | 0.261% |
| January 10 | #2 | #205 | 232,521 | 0.271% |
| January 11 | #4 | #227 | 231,414 | 0.270% |
| January 12 | #8 | #247 | 230,499 | 0.269% |
| January 13 | #26 | #342 | 223,803 | 0.261% |
| January 14 | #5 | #230 | 231,343 | 0.270% |
| January 15 | #29 | #346 | 222,374 | 0.259% |
| January 16 | #25 | #340 | 224,055 | 0.261% |
| January 17 | #10 | #258 | 230,038 | 0.268% |
| January 18 | #13 | #279 | 229,465 | 0.268% |
| January 19 | #22 | #330 | 225,387 | 0.263% |
| January 20 | #19 | #303 | 228,138 | 0.266% |
| January 21 | #18 | #302 | 228,190 | 0.266% |
| January 22 | #23 | #334 | 225,098 | 0.263% |
| January 23 | #14 | #283 | 229,163 | 0.267% |
| January 24 | #1 | #200 | 233,021 | 0.272% |
| January 25 | #6 | #238 | 230,897 | 0.269% |
| January 26 | #15 | #296 | 228,394 | 0.266% |
| January 27 | #20 | #305 | 228,012 | 0.266% |
| January 28 | #16 | #297 | 228,365 | 0.266% |
| January 29 | #28 | #345 | 222,831 | 0.260% |
| January 30 | #21 | #319 | 226,669 | 0.264% |
| January 31 | #12 | #278 | 229,472 | 0.268% |
Each January date occurs 21 times in this period, so ranking by births per occurrence gives the same order within this month.
Which January birthdays are rarest and most common?
January 1 is the rarest January birthday in these historical U.S. records, with 164,362 births. January 24 is the most common, with 233,021. The records cover 1994 through 2014.
January's most common date ranks 200 out of all 366 birthday dates. January 1 ranks 364. In both rankings, #1 means most common.
How much separates January's top dates?
January 24 leads January 10 by just 500 births across the whole period, or 0.22% relative to January 10. That is a small gap between the two highest totals.
Every January date occurs 21 times in this dataset. Dividing each total by 21 gives births per occurrence and leaves the order unchanged. February 29 works differently because it occurs less often; the full rare-birthday ranking explains that distinction.
Is January 8 a rare birthday?
January 8 is 27 in January's commonness ranking and 343 across the full year. It falls toward the less common end of both lists, but the ranking describes this historical sample. It does not count everyone alive today with a January 8 birthday.
Use the date comparison above to see how it differs from another January date, or check a birthday in any month.
Why is January 1 lower?
January 1 has fewer recorded births than any other January date. The records don't identify delivery methods or explain why births occurred when they did. The holiday birth study examines holiday dates against nearby days that fall on the same weekday, using one consistent source series. It provides a closer comparison than a rank alone.
Sources and what the ranking measures
These results use U.S. birth records compiled by FiveThirtyEight: CDC/NCHS for 1994 through 1999 and SSA for 2000 through 2014. January contributes 6,979,322 recorded births.
January rank compares the 31 dates in this month; overall rank compares all 366 month/day combinations. Birth share divides a date's count by all births in the selected 1994 through 2014 records, including births outside January. These are historical U.S. counts, not worldwide or current-population estimates.
See the methodology for source differences and calculations. To compare January as a whole with other months, use the birth-month guide, which accounts for month length.
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