When were you born?
How Holidays and Seasons Influence Ducklow Descendant Birthdays
[Updated March 31, 2009]

Did you know that October 5th is the day of the year with the most birthdays in America? OK, so why would this be? The answer of course is what event happened nine months prior. A baby’s gestational period is typically 267 days, with a normal variation of about two weeks. New Year’s Eve falls 278 days before October 5th, fitting very nicely in the two-week variation window. It seems that couples’ celebration of the New Year [see footnote] explains the peak in early October births!

The higher number of births around the end of September and early October also holds true for the greater Ducklow family. Statistically speaking, more Ducklow descendants are born in the period from September 8th until October 10th than any other time of year. This period correlates back nine months to mid-December and early January and includes both Christmas and New Year’s holidays. On average, two Ducklow descendants have birthdays each day during the September 8th to October 10th period. September 10th is a particularly popular date for being born; six descendants of Thomas and Elizabeth share that birthday. This date ties with October 23rd for most common date of birth in our greater Ducklow family.

The least common time of year for Ducklow births? Mid August. The two-week period of August 15th through August 27th is the least likely dates for a Ducklow descendant to be born. On average, there is just one birth per day in this period (compared to the overall average of 1.6 descendant birthdays each day of the year). There are no known Ducklow descendants born on the dates of August 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, or 20th. This is the only five-day stretch in the whole calendar with no descendant birthdays. Nine months prior is mid November. Apparently, Thanksgiving dinner with the family does not translate well into working on expanding the family. Or perhaps only a few women wanted to be nine months pregnant in the very peak of heat in the summer.

In addition to the September to early October period, there are a few other days on the calendar when a higher than average number of Ducklow descendant birthdays occur:

(1) Just before Christmas through mid January — nine months prior is April. As Friend Owl points out in the movie "Bambi," springtime is when couples become “Twitterpated,”

(2) Mid February — nine months prior is Memorial Day weekend,

(3) Mid to late March — nine months prior is 4th of July,

(4) Late April to Late May — nine months prior is August and early September including Labor Day,

(5) Mid November — nine months prior is Valentines Day.

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Footnote: Birth date popularity reference found at http://ask.yahoo.com/20061114.html Click here to link.

Footnote: Statistics where based on analyzing the 568 known birthdays of the 783 known descendants of Thomas and Elizabeth Ducklow. The birth years range from 1843 to 2009.

Footnote: There are 75 dates on the calendar without at least one Ducklow descendant birthday. These dates are January 6, 7, 10, 18, 21, 26; February 3, 9, 23, 24, 29; March 1, 5, 8, 10, 11, 23, 31; April 11, 16, 19, 23, 25, 29; May 8, 19, 23, 29, 30; June 5, 8, 19, 23, 29, 30; July 12, 13, 17, 18, 23; August 3, 4, 11, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26; September 4, 5, 7, 13, 20, 22, 23, 29; October 9, 13, 20, 30, 31; November 1, 2, 7, 12, 22, 23, 25, 29; December 9, 10, 16, 21, 28

Footnote: The day of the month with the most births is the 24th. Thirty-seven Ducklow descendants have a birthday on this day of the month. The least common day of the month for a birthday is the 31st. Only seven months have 31 days. Of these only nine birthdays in the greater Ducklow family occur on one of these seven days.

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