# So who was born on October 5th, the most popular birth date in America? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 5, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689 "2011-10-05T15:20:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/1 "2011-10-05T15:20:17Z")
In case you’re wondering, it’s nine months after December 31st. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/2 "2011-10-05T16:17:11Z")
Huh. Dec. 31st being my birthday. Monday (10/3) was my late father’s birthday, and when I posted on Facebook to that effect, I had two different people say “Hey, it was my late father’s birthday also.” That was kind of weird, but cool. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/3 "2011-10-05T16:22:25Z")
No kidding. It’s my mom’s birthday. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/4 "2011-10-05T16:29:55Z")
This sounds like an urban legend. [According to this, the most common U.S. birthday is September 16.](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/19/business/20leonhardt-table.html) October 5 is _about_ 40 weeks after New Year’s Eve, but not everybody stays home and does the nasty on NYE. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/5 "2011-10-05T16:31:29Z")
Oddly enough, none of my ~400 Facebook friends appear to have a birthday today. Obviously, this is skewed by how many have their birthdays listed, but I have three with birthdays on the 11th, and three on the 15th. ETA: None for Sept 16, either. ---
**Author:** ![surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/surrounded_by_literalists)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/6 "2011-10-05T16:47:45Z")
I did not know this! My husbands birthday is today (10/5). Considering the 40 wks from Dec. 31 this tells me more than I ever wanted to know about my in-laws (EWWWWW!), but I did get Mr. Trainable out of the deal. To celebrate, today he is going to have an ultrasound of his left testicle to determine if he has testicular cancer or not. He is perversely amused by telling his buddies what he was up to on his birthday. I wrote ‘its my birthday’ on the inside of his thigh with a sharpie to let the ultrasound tech know that it was his special day. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/7 "2011-10-05T16:48:27Z")
Wow today is my birthday and now I need brain bleach. I never counted backwards 🙂 Timing makes sense though since my parents were married in late February which would have been just enough time for them to find out about me and rush to a wedding. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/8 "2011-10-05T18:50:30Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Oddly enough, none of my ~400 Facebook friends appear to have a birthday today. Obviously, this is skewed by how many have their birthdays listed, but I have three with birthdays on the 11th, and three on the 15th. ETA: None for Sept 16, either. I have fewer than half that many friends, but two of them have birthdays today. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/9 "2011-10-05T19:00:56Z")
Hmmm…my late father was born on Oct 6th. Never occurred to me to do the arithmetic and figure out what Gramps and Grammie were up to on New Year’s Eve/Day.🆒 (BTW, they weren’t married at the time :o, and didn’t marry until sometime after Dad was born. :eek:) ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/10 "2011-10-05T19:03:23Z")
Speaking of counting weeks, Russians have a riddle: “Can an April Fool’s practical joke turn out to be a New Year’s gift?” (Russians give each other gifts on New Year Day, not on Christmas day). ---
**Author:** ![TXCowboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/76d3ee/32.png) [@TXCowboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TXCowboy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/11 "2011-10-05T19:15:29Z")
Well, today is my wifes birthday and now I know a little more than I wanted to know about my in-laws! ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheField](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@LilyoftheField](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheField)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/12 "2011-10-05T20:02:02Z")
> [@TXCowboy](#): > > Well, today is my wifes birthday and now I know a little more than I wanted to know about my in-laws! Well, my ex-husband was born on Oct 5. But the fact that his younger brother was born 10 months later had already told me more than I wanted to know about my in-laws! :eek: ---
**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:** [October 5, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/13 "2011-10-05T21:16:36Z")
My sister’s birthday is today. Ewww. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/14 "2011-10-05T22:56:55Z")
I don’t get all the ewwww!!! comments. Everybody alive today is here because your parents did the deed on some particular day. And it doesn’t take Einstein-level math to back any given birthday up by 40 weeks to see what your particular Conceptiversary is/was. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/15 "2011-10-06T00:31:37Z")
So is there an ap to count backward? I’m feeling lazy. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/16 "2011-10-06T06:02:21Z")
[Sure is.](http://www.babymed.com/conception-calculator) ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/17 "2011-10-06T13:20:25Z")
Your estimated conception date was between Sunday, May 15, 2061 and Sunday, May 22, 2061 I knew it … alien time traveling parents. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/18 "2011-10-06T13:23:58Z")
In fact it seems I was conceived around my sisters birthday, she was born on my maternal grandfathers birthday and my mother and I share the same birthday. ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/19 "2011-10-06T13:28:40Z")
I was born on October 5. My mother said I was conceived during Christmas at my grandparents house when my mom and dad were visiting and she forgot her birth control pills. I was 10 days late, so that makes sense. I didn’t know until yesterday that it’s the most common birthday. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689/20 "2011-10-06T13:30:21Z")
> [@Nutty\_Bunny](#): > > I didn’t know until yesterday that it’s the most common birthday. It isn’t. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-born-on-october-5th-the-most-popular-birth-date-in-america/598689.md?page=2)