While most of the fandom knows that Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling's birthdays coincide and come about on July 31st, the author has also revealed the birthdays of much of the rest of her characters over the years.
While very few are mentioned in the books' pages, and even less on screen, they do exist in the canon the author created. Below we move beyond the Boy Who Lived and the day he came to be to answer the birthday question for the main characters who surround him on his epic journey.
Updated on October 23rd, 2021 by Rose Graceling-Moore: Now that the third film in the Fantastic Beasts series has a 'hard' release date, Harry Potter fans can continue to delve into the backstory of the world that Harry grew up in - and may even see Dumbledore's exact birthday officially confirmed! Whether it does or not, though, Rowling has confirmed most character birthdays either in-universe or on Pottermore, so fans can figure out their birthdays in date order.
Harry Potter's famous July 31st birthday came just over a year before the tragic murder of his parents, Lily and James Potter, at the hands of Voldemort on Halloween night, 1981, both of whom died at the age of 21.
Both born in 1960, sharing a calendar year with the likes of Snape and Lupin, Lily was the older of the two, born at the end of January while James' birthday helped usher in the springtime two months later.
Severus Snape - January 9th, 1960
Like the other dark character on this list, Voldemort himself, Severus Snape, also had a winter birthday. While Snape and Voldemort had birthdays close to one another, the love of Snape's life, Lily Evans Potter, also had a January birthday, January 30.
While many of the morally questionable characters in the Harry Potter series were born in the winter, Lily's birthday proves that not all of them were, and time of year doesn't explain a witch or wizard going bad. Born just after the new year, on January 9, Snape was a few months older than some of his classmates when he started school.
Luna Lovegood - February 13th, 1981
Luna Lovegood, a member of the "silver trio," was born on February 13. Despite some confusion, she is in the same year as Ginny, rather than Harry, Ron, and Hermione. While her mother died when she was very young, it was not when she was a baby.
Harry, as a baby, saw his mother die in front of him but yet did not see Thestrals until he watched Cedric perish in the Triwizard Tournament. Luna, however, saw Thestrals from the beginning of her time at Hogwarts, meaning she was at least a toddler when her mother died.
Ron Weasley - March 1st, 1980
Even though Ron is the youngest brother in the Weasley family, he is five months older than The Chosen One. He is younger than his eventual wife, Hermione, however. Of the seven Weasley children, Ron is the only one born in March.
His first wand, a hand me down from his older brother, Charlie, is made of ash and has a unicorn hair core. Ash relates to Ron's birthday on the Celtic Tree Calendar. His later wand is made of willow, however, though it still has a unicorn hair core.
Fred & George Weasley - April 1st, 1978
Just older than Ron in the Weasley household are everybody's favorite mischievous twins, Fred and George Weasley, Hogwarts' resident jokers, and all-around good guys.
Coming two years before Ron, three before Ginny, and two years before their slightly older brother Percy, Fred and George were born at the beginning of April. For those invested in star signs, being born on April fools day means they are Aries, which is a perfect fit, they were destined to be the jokers they are right from the start.
Draco Malfoy - June 5th, 1980
Like Lily Potter, Draco Malfoy's spring birthday again disrupts any assumptions that the time of year when one is born determines whether or not a witch or wizard will go bad or not.
Of course, Draco turns a corner toward the end of Deathly Hallows and doesn't follow in the evil footsteps of his father, Lucius, but he was not a great guy for most of the series. Draco's son, Scorpius, a good guy from the start, has a birthday of January 13.
Dobby - June 28th
Everybody's favorite free Elf, Dobby, celebrates his birthday in summer, a month before one of his closest friends in Harry Potter.
His birthday isn't mentioned too much in the series (a House Elf's birthday party would be an odd addition, albeit an interesting one) but fans might not know that Dobby's birthday is the same as that of JK Rowling's sister. This isn't the only birthday that Rowling borrows from her real life, of course, and it's a fun bit of Harry Potter trivia.
Neville Longbottom - July 30th, 1980
Neville Longbottom, the leader of the "silver trio," and the other baby who could have been "The Boy Who Lived" was a day older than the actual "Chosen One" - and would make more sens than Harry Potter.
Neville made more sense than Harry on the surface. Voldemort always held that pureblood families were better than any other and, like Harry's parents, Neville's too had twice defied the Dark Lord. Yet, Neville was passed over the half-blood Harry, with his muggle-born mother. The story could have gone so differently if Voldemort had chosen Longbottom instead.
Ginny Weasley - August 11th, 1981
Ginny, another member of the "silver trio," was born on August 11. She is part of the only duo of Weasley siblings who have birthdays in the same month (excluding twins Fred and George, of course).
The other Weasley sibling born in August is Percy (he was born on the 22). She is the only daughter of Arthur and Molly, and the only girl born (rather than married) into the Weasley family in quite a few generations.
Albus Dumbledore - Late August 1881
Dumbledore's birthday is never stated either in the Harry Potter books or later confirmed by J.K. Rowling. In "The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore" by Rita Skeeter, the author states that Dumbledore was nearing his eighteenth birthday when he left Hogwarts in June.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald give the biggest assurance of his birthday to date, though, with Dumbledore being 45 three months after Grindelwald's escape on the 30th of May 1927, meaning his birthday falls in late August.
Hermione Granger - September 19th, 1979
The brightest witch of her age would certainly have been born the month that school opens; it only makes sense. Hermione's September birthday makes her the oldest of the trio (born in the year before her compatriots).
Her age may explain her maturity in comparison to Ron, Harry, as well as many of their classmates. It may also explain why Hermione is always right, as her age puts her a little bit ahead of the other students (despite being born in a muggle rather than a wizarding household).
Minerva McGonagall - October 4th
Minerva McGonagall was a constant throughout the Potter series, there to produce wisdom, sass, and even friendship, as well as bravery as the head of Gryffindor house.
Born in Caithness, Scotland, McGonagall was born on the fourth of October, although in terms of birth year, that exact information is unknown, and the point of much contention, with it being believed by fans that she was born in 1935 until The Crimes Of Grindelwald retconned such a theory. At this point, it's unclear how old she is, and fans are hoping to find this out as the Fantastic Beasts series continues.
Sirius Black - November 3rd, 1959
One of the most adored characters in the Potter series is Harry's godfather, and best friend of James and Remus, Sirius Black, a character who stands out in both the books and movies as outstanding.
Black, also known as Padfoot, was born at the start of November, in the calendar year before the likes of Snape, James, Lily, and Remus who were his classmates during his time at Hogwarts, a place where he was able to find a family in his friends, despite the situation with his purist relatives.
Rubeus Hagrid - December 6th, 1928
Hagrid's birthday is in the month of December - and it's easy to associate him with the warmer, cosier parts of this month. The gentle giant, and Harry's staunchest supporter, celebrated a lot with his birthday coming so close to Christmas.
In the mobile game Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Hagrid actually celebrates his fifty-sixth birthday at Hogwarts with students and staff.
Voldemort/Tom Riddle - December 31st, 1926
Voldemort, or at least the boy who used to be Tom Riddle, was born to Merope Gaunt and Tom Riddle senior on December 31. While Harry Potter was born in the middle of the summer, his nemesis, the Dark Lord, was born in the darkest depths of winter.
Like Harry and Luna, Voldemort's mother died while he was very young, younger than baby Harry even, leaving Tom Riddle to grow up in an orphanage before attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. So soon after Christmas, Voldemort, once he began attending Hogwarts, got to spend his birthdays in the castle rather than at the orphanage.