# How do I find someone's birth date? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 5, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-find-someones-birth-date/222880 "2004-01-05T21:46:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alimarx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@alimarx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alimarx)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-find-someones-birth-date/222880/1 "2004-01-05T21:46:58Z")
Really, the reason is benign: a surprise birthday gift for a friend. The ‘surprise’ part precludes simply asking them. I know their full name, address, age (± 1 yr), where they graduated college… let’s see what else? I think they were born in the first half of the year, possibly a Gemini (though I hate this astrology crap so much, I hope I’m proven wrong on that). Any ideas? thanks mark ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-find-someones-birth-date/222880/2 "2004-01-05T21:58:24Z")
If this is a real life friend, find a way to sneak a peek at their driver’s license. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-find-someones-birth-date/222880/3 "2004-01-05T21:59:26Z")
Check out [http://www.anybirthday.com](http://www.anybirthday.com). You can do a search just on the person’s name, but using the zip code of their birth as well will give more precise results. ---
**Author:** ![alimarx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@alimarx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alimarx)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-find-someones-birth-date/222880/4 "2004-01-05T22:25:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by filmore \* > \*\*Check out [http://www.anybirthday.com](http://www.anybirthday.com). You can do a search just on the person’s name, but using the zip code of their birth as well will give more precise results. \*\* Cool site. I know their birth state, but they weren’t to be found within the range of ZIP codes for that state. ☹ > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SnoopyFan \* > \*\*If this is a real life friend, find a way to sneak a peek at their driver’s license. \*\* Real life friend, a good 10 hour drive away. All my imaginary friends have gifts sent to them automagically. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-find-someones-birth-date/222880/5 "2004-01-05T23:03:08Z")
Astrology can be useful for this. Go to a horoscopes page while you’re talking on the phone, then ask what his/her birthday is so that you can read him/her his/her horoscope. (why are we playing the “pronoun game”?) ---
**Author:** ![alimarx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@alimarx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alimarx)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-find-someones-birth-date/222880/6 "2004-01-05T23:33:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Max Torque \* > \*\*Astrology can be useful for this. Go to a horoscopes page while you’re talking on the phone, then ask what his/her birthday is so that you can read him/her his/her horoscope. > > (why are we playing the “pronoun game”?) \*\* Good question. (I donno.) **She** has absolutely no interest in horrorscopes. It would be a strange, forced conversation. If **she** were a normal person, maybe, but, alas, no. Good try though. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-find-someones-birth-date/222880/7 "2004-01-06T00:35:53Z")
In WI you can snoop on your friends’ criminal records (anything from speeding tickets to attempted homicide) in the state circuit court database, which gives the birthdate by month/year and sometimes by day (I think). Is your friend a leadfoot? Maybe CA has something similar. ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-find-someones-birth-date/222880/8 "2004-01-06T01:13:28Z")
**All my imaginary friends have gifts sent to them automagically.** For all I knew this was a friend of yours online. ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-find-someones-birth-date/222880/9 "2004-01-06T12:53:55Z")
Ring their mammy? ---
**Author:** ![USNSPARKS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9fc348/32.png) [@USNSPARKS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USNSPARKS)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-find-someones-birth-date/222880/10 "2004-01-06T13:08:13Z")
Find out some famous people born on YOUR BD and then ask her if anyone famous was born on HER BD. If she asks why simply say you just found out you were born on so-and-so’s BD. It’s LAME but WTH! Ask a friend of hers, similar to the last reply. There’s a program that will print out a minature newspaper for what happened on a persons BD as the headline and lots of other info about that year in particular. Is called Birthday Chronicle, maybe you could tell her you like to do on for her. The files can be Emailed as PDF files and printed at the other end. [http://www.kksoft.com/](http://www.kksoft.com/) ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-find-someones-birth-date/222880/11 "2004-01-06T13:54:57Z")
Maybe your friend’s friends will be friendly enough to help? ---
**Author:** ![VernWinterbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c67d28/32.png) [@VernWinterbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VernWinterbottom)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-find-someones-birth-date/222880/12 "2004-01-06T14:01:22Z")
Don’t know about every city/town, but where I live, the town takes a census every year. All of that public information–birth date, address, voter registration, etc.–is on file at the Town Clerk’s office. The town even prints a town-wide directory, listed by street address and indexed alphabetically. It’s available at the clerk’s office for a few bucks. ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-find-someones-birth-date/222880/13 "2004-01-06T14:30:38Z")
cool. my dad is in any birthday but I and my siblings are not. ---
**Author:** ![alimarx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@alimarx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alimarx)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-find-someones-birth-date/222880/14 "2004-01-06T18:31:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Iteki \* > \*\*Ring their mammy? \*\* I wanted to avoid friend/relatives, simply cuz people are so untrustworthy, and would spill the beans, but, it seems this may be my only option. I have her bro’s email addy 'round here somewhere…