If you are like most people, chances are you have forgotten at least a birthday or two of those closest to you. Missing a loved one’s special day (whether of a spouse, parent, or best friend) is not just embarrassing; it can also leave you feeling guilty for days.
To make sure you don’t repeat the same mistake twice (or avoid it in the first place), you need to find a reliable way to discover when those around you are born. And that’s exactly what this article is about.
Using the techniques below, you can easily plan your gifts (or even surprise parties) and never miss the birthday of a loved one ever again. You can also use them to figure out the birthdays of any new friends you make and strengthen those relationships with a thoughtful gesture.
So, ready to get started? Here are our top tips!
Search for Birthdays on a People Search Website
Birth certificates, marriage documents, and various other public records archived by government offices contain people’s dates of birth. But these can be stored at all sorts of different locations, making it incredibly hard for you to determine where to look for them.
People search sites are a solution for this. They compile information from public records (such as those in various government databases) to create cohesive profiles. This makes it pretty convenient for you to find details from multiple sources on a single platform.
Plus, apart from a date of birth, you can retrieve lots of other information on these platforms. For example, you might find a person’s address, workplace, relatives, and associates, which can be useful when you want to deliver a gift or invite loved ones for a surprise birthday party.
Look for Information on Google
Google caters to close to 90% of the global search volume. That’s an impressive share of the pie by any measure.
There are several reasons why so many people rely on this search giant for information. Google indexes a staggering number of pages—in the region of trillions, according to some estimates. Its proprietary algorithms are also second to none and assure results at lightning speed.
But a name alone might not be enough to search Google’s vast pool of indexed pages. To narrow the results, you will typically need more identifiable keywords, like a city, workplace, and school. (For example, by adding a city, you can limit results to people with the same name from that specific location).
But bear in mind that Google doesn’t screen content for accuracy. So, it’s best to double-check what you find on it using other resources and/or techniques.
Go Through Social Media Profiles
Most social media platforms allow users to display their date of birth. While it’s entirely at the discretion of the account user, many people make use of this feature to let their connections and followers know about an upcoming birthday.
So, when you want to learn the month and day someone was born and you are already friends with them on a networking platform, you can go straight to their profile and check under their bio or About section. If you don’t see a date of birth there, go through their old posts and look for anything related to birthdays (like a photo of a birthday celebration from the previous year).
But what if you are not connected with them on social media? In that case, search for their profile on the top platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok. Most sites provide a search bar for this.
Note that some users may hide personal information from public view. In such instances, you may need to send them an invite before you can go through their bios.
Related Article: How to Throw a Virtual Birthday Party? Kickass Ideas to Celebrate Birthday Online
Contact Friends and Family
An easy way to find a person’s birthday is asking someone else who might know something about it. This usually means speaking to a family member, close friend, or coworker. (If you are curious about someone you work with, you can try checking with their team leader or HR, too).
Now, when you already know them well, you would not have much trouble getting hold of information.
But if you have not interacted with or met them before, things can get a little tricky. Remember, most people will be reluctant to disclose personal information of others to strangers.
In such instances, you may need to introduce yourself first and let them know why you are asking for the relevant person’s birthday information. Getting an introduction from someone they know could also help ease their suspicions.
Prompt Them for Clues
Asking someone about their birthday is perfectly acceptable during the initial stages of a relationship. But when it comes to close friends and family, you are already supposed to know about their special day.
With people like that, you can use indirect questions to dig for helpful information (without making it too obvious).
For instance, ask whether they share a birthday with anyone else they know or someone famous. If they do, it is just a matter of finding out when the other person was born.
You can also ask about their zodiac sign (to narrow down the dates) or talk about your own birthday to prompt them to hopefully reveal theirs. But remember to use tact to avoid raising suspicions.
To Sum Things Up
Even a thoughtful wish is enough to make someone feel special and appreciated on their birthday. But what if you can’t remember the exact date they were born? Things can get extra awkward if it is a close friend or family member.
In moments like these, there are several ways to dig up the information you need. People search directories, Google’s search engine, and social media profiles can all help you find a person’s birthday without them ever finding out.
Reaching out to others who know them and using indirect questions to prompt for clues might also help, provided you act tactfully.
But once you learn someone’s date of birth, be sure to add it to your calendar and set up a few reminders so you don’t need to go through all the hassle next time around.