# Social Security Symbolism

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-symbolism/20488>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 25, 2000, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-symbolism/20488 "2000-05-25T03:53:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ElDestructo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@ElDestructo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElDestructo)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2000, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-symbolism/20488/1 "2000-05-25T03:53:14Z")

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The other day I ran into someone who’s social security number had the same prefix as mine. The only thing this person and Ihad in common was that we were both born in the same state, albiet 30 years apart. It made me wonder if there was any pattern to the assignment of social security numbers.

Is it random? What do the groupings mean? Why the three-two-four pattern? Is it all some kind of vast conspiracy?

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**Author:** ![labdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5fc32e/32.png) [@labdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labdude)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2000, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-symbolism/20488/2 "2000-05-25T03:58:36Z")

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its in the archive somewhere. i remember reading it. yes the numbers mean stuff (sort of)

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**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2000, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-symbolism/20488/3 "2000-05-25T05:17:04Z")

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[Are social security numbers recycled? What do the numbers mean?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_315.html)

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**Author:** ![dook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@dook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dook)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2000, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-symbolism/20488/4 "2000-05-29T07:08:04Z")

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Interesting… So why should my two middle digits be  
different from my sister’s digits which were issued  
at the same time and same place? I found it a rather  
interesting coincidence that hers and my middle digits  
were equal to the year that each of us would turn 16  
(we are two years apart). I’m not going to tell you  
when that was, just that it has been a few years 😉