Celebrate Good Times: The Significance of Birthdays

Published on: March 12, 2021

Need something to look forward to over the next year? To help break up the news and bring cheerier celebrations to the forefront of daily life, we at Funky Pigeon have analysed a tradition that we hold very dear to our hearts – birthdays.

Birthdays are worth celebrating – they are a way of honouring another year of life and how much someone has grown over the year. They give someone a reason to feel special as well as show them how much they are loved.

So far, this decade has seen the way we celebrate differ dramatically from what we may have been used to, as the start to the 2020s was filled with restrictions and local lockdowns. As safety plays heavily on the nation’s minds and hearts, making birthdays unique and, most importantly, memorable becomes a challenge that the world is dealing with together.

50 Is the Most Searched for Birthday

All birthdays are special, but not all are treated as equal. We consider some milestone years to be extra important – such as your very 1st birthday, sweet 16, official adulthood at 18 and the dirty 30, to name a few.

Analysing Google search data over a three year period, we can tell you precisely which birthdays you view as most important in life – the ones we search for most.

But, We Search for 30th Birthday Gifts the Most

Despite us emphasising the significance of 50th birthdays, it’s not the one we get the most presents for. Again, looking at how you search on Google, we can see a lot more time is spent looking for 30th birthday gifts and gift ideas.

Who Sends the Most Cards and Gifts?

Analysing over 7 million gifts and cards sent by Brits, we have found that the most generous people in the UK are named:

  1. Sarah
  2. Emma
  3. Laura
  4. Rebecca
  5. David
  6. Claire
  7. Lisa
  8. Amy
  9. James
  10. Paul

Between them, they send almost half a million cards and gifts to family and friends, meaning you’re practically guaranteed to receive something when your birthday comes around!

Where Are We Sending the Most Birthday Cards?

Our data shows that, within the UK, the cities receiving the most birthday cards are:

  1. London
  2. Glasgow
  3. Liverpool
  4. Nottingham
  5. Birmingham
  6. Manchester
  7. Bristol
  8. Sheffield
  9. Southampton
  10. Leeds

But it doesn’t stop there! Our data also reveals you go to great lengths to make sure family and friends know they’re loved around the globe. The top 5 countries to receive cards outside the UK are:

  1. Ireland
  2. Australia
  3. United States
  4. Spain
  5. Canada

September is the Most Popular Birthday Month

According to the Office of National Statistics, the number of babies born in the past decade has peaked, with the most popular birthday being September 26th. That being said, from September 17th to October 4th is a popular period in the year for babies to be born.
This is around 9 months after the festive New Year’s period and the time for New Year’s Resolutions – which could be connected!

The Top Five Most Popular Birthdays:

  1. September 26th
  2. September 25th
  3. September 24th
  4. September 27th
  5. September 30th

The Most Uncommon Birthdays:

  1. December 26th
  2. December 25th
  3. January 1st

Most Popular Birthday Months Around the World

Who Do You Share Your Birthday Month With?

Sources
Funky Pigeon customer sales and site data: January 2017 – January 2020, ONS: How popular is your birthday?, UN Data: Live births by month of birth, Average monthly search volume via Google January 2017 – January 2020, Famous Birthdays