Does everyone get a diamond birthday?

Everyone has one on the calendar, but not everyone lives to see it. People born early in a century (like 2003) reach theirs young, while those born late in a century (like 1998) would need to live past 98.

What is a beddian birthday?

It's the same concept, named after New York firefighter Bobby Beddia, who noted the coincidence the year he turned 53 in 2006 — his birth year was 1953.

Diamond Birthday Calculator

Your diamond birthday — sometimes called a grand or beddian birthday — is the year your age matches the last two digits of your birth year. Some people hit it at 12; others have to wait until 95. Find yours.

Find your diamond birthday

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The magic age
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What is a diamond birthday?

It's the one birthday in your life when your age equals the last two digits of your birth year. If you were born in 1953, it's the birthday when you turn 53 — which happened in 2006. If you were born in 2003, you turned 3 in 2006 too. That's the curious thing about this milestone: everyone born in the same century celebrates theirs in a different year, but the birthday-plus-year always adds up to the same century mark.

The firefighter who noticed

The idea is often called a beddian birthday after Bobby Beddia, a New York City firefighter who pointed out the coincidence in the year he turned 53 — having been born in 1953. The story was recorded in a 2007 New Yorker piece, and the name stuck.

Some people get theirs as toddlers

Born 2010? Your diamond birthday was at age 10, in 2020.
Born 1990? You'll celebrate at age 90, in 2080.
Born 1955? Age 55, in 2010.
Born 2000? Yours was the day you were born — age 0 in the year 2000. A once-a-century special case.

The later in a century you're born, the older you'll be when it arrives — which makes reaching your diamond birthday genuinely worth celebrating.

Frequently asked questions

How is it calculated?

Take the last two digits of your birth year — that's your diamond age. Add it to your birth year to get the calendar year it happens. Born 1984: 84 + 1984 = 2068, at age 84.

Is it the same as a golden birthday?

No — a golden birthday is when your age matches your day of birth (turning 21 on the 21st). The diamond birthday uses your birth year and usually comes much later.

Has mine already passed?

Enter your date of birth above — the calculator tells you whether your diamond birthday is behind you, ahead of you, or happening this year.