Say hello to these leap day babies born Feb. 29 at New Jersey hospitals (2024)

FAQs

What happens when babies are born on February 29th? ›

For children born in a leap year, a different date is chosen for their birthday. Although it is not established, some consider that those who were born before noon on February 29 celebrate their birthday on the 28th of the month, and if they were born after 12 o'clock, they will opt for March 1.

Jumping into the strange science of leap years

In total we'll adjust down by 10%, which gets us to our estimated number of babies to be born in the U.S. on February 29, 2024 of 8,852.

People born on Leap Day are called "leaplings" or "leapers." While other parents call their little ones "cutie" or "sweetie pie," you can call your February 29 baby a "leaper" or a "leapling" (how adorable is that?).

A leap year takes place roughly every four years, when an extra day is added to the Gregorian calendar, making the total duration of that year 366, not 365, days. The extra day is added at the end of the month of February. Feb. 29 is known as leap day.

If you're born in a leap year, when can you legally drink, vote, or drive? Legality in terms of drinking and voting is not impacted by leap years, even if someone is "technically" not 18 or 21. If you're born on February 29, your birthday would be observed after 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 28 — or March 1 — on non-leap years.

"The chances of a baby being born on Leap Day is pretty slim: about one in 1,461, as Feb. 29 only comes around once every 1,461 days. And if a baby is born during a Leap Year, the chance of their birthday falling on Feb.

February 29th: February 29th (Leap Day during Leap Year) is the rarest birthday with only a one in roughly 1,460 chance of being born on this date. February is one of the least popular months for new births.

There's only a one in 1461 chance of being born on February 29, making it the rarest birthday.

Leap year babies are sometimes humorously referred to as "leapers" or "leaplings." The chance of being born on February 29th is approximately 1 in 1,461, making leap year babies a rare and special occurrence.

Leap year babies, born on February 29th, have a unique identity due to the peculiarity of their birthday. They possess a blend of numbers 2 and 4, with traits of being logical, trustworthy, and reliable. They excel in careers that require organization and precision.

How old would I be if I was a leap year baby? ›

2016: You'd be 8 years old or 2. 2020: You'd be 4 years old or 1. 2024: Happy birthday! You're a newborn, and the Leap Day math does not apply to your age until the next Leap Year in 2028, where you'll be 4 years old and 1 in Leap Day years.

It doesn't mean you age slower than anyone else, but you only celebrate your birthday every four years, meaning that you could be four years old and still a senior in high school! Approximately four million people (about twice the population of New Mexico) from the Earth's population are leap babies.

In some countries, leap days are popular days for weddings. Fun fact: Some other major events that occur every four years - like the U.S. presidential elections and the Summer Olympics - also typically take place during leap years.

While many calendars throughout history show evidence of leap year-like adjustments, the modern leap day is credited to Julius Caesar, according to the BBC.

Caesar, along with philosopher Sosigenes of Alexandria, modified this calendar and, instead of relying on the stars, decided they would add a day to every fourth year in order to align with the solar year. The extra day came at the end of February, creating leap day.

Those born on that day don't always get to celebrate their actual birthday — since that date occurs only every four years. Someone born on Leap Day typically celebrates birthdays on Feb. 28 or March 1.

February 29 is a horological abnormality, appearing only once every four years. Every other year, the calendar goes straight from February 28 to March 1. My mom told me that the hospital staff not merely offered, but urged her to change my birthdate to March 1.

But Reitz speculates that March 1 would likely be considered the legal birthday in non-leap years of someone born on leap day. His legal thinking is that February 29 is the day after February 28, so a person born on February 29 is legally considered to have aged one year on the day after February 28.