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What is an Emerald Birthday? A Golden Birthday? A Crown Birthday? What?

So many birthdays.

Photo of Lindsey Weedston

Lindsey Weedston

Woman with arms crossed and tex that says '*realising i've missed my golden and diamond birthday*(l), Many talking with Happy Birthday background(c), Woman talking with text that says 'What is your double golden birthday?'(r)

An Emerald Birthday, according to the TikTok trend, is when your age on your birthday matches your birth month—like turning five in May. This is just one of several types of birthdays that younger generations are talking about, including Golden, Diamond, and Crown birthdays, which can change the way you might celebrate.

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Some TikTokers are taking this trend a step further by analyzing people based on when these days fall, drawing upon astrology and related trends.

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@audrey..xz/TikTok

What do Emerald Birthday, Golden Birthday, Diamond Birthday, and Crown Birthday mean?

Most people reading this will have already passed their Emerald Birthday, which occurs at age 12 at the latest. However, you could still celebrate your Golden Birthday, which is when your age matches the date of your birth. If you were born on the 25th of any month, your Golden Birthday would be at age 25. You can swap that number for your Platinum Birthday, which would be at age 52.

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@yolkfather Have you had your DOUBLE golden birthday yet? Here are some more important birthdays you will have in your lifetime! 👑💗 #greenscreen #goldenbirthday #emeraldbirthday #crownbirthday #funfacts #howrareareyou #birthdayfacts ♬ original sound – Lexi Natoli

Still too old? In that case, consider looking forward to your Diamond Birthday. For those born in the 1900s (sorry), this could be a seriously aspirational day, because it’s the birthday that matches the last two numbers of your birth year. If you were born in 1999, eat your vegetables and stay out of the street, because your day is when you turn 99.

According to TikTok, the rarest and allegedly luckiest of all birthdays is the Crown Birthday. It combines the Golden and Diamond Birthday, meaning your birth date, year, and age must all come into alignment. If you’re turning 25 on the 25th of any month next year, make it an extra big party, because that’s your Crown Birthday.

What is a Double Golden Birthday?

If you’re feeling left out of all these special occasions because you were born in the 2000s and were too young to know or even form long-term memories, there’s more. You could celebrate a Double Golden Birthday, which takes the normal Golden Birthday and just doubles the number. A Double Emerald Birthday could also be a thing.

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@mandymovement I’M 30! My birthday was October 15 and I spent it in Forks, WA because I’m a HUGE Twilight fan! I even have a Twilight tattoo! #libraseason #happybirthday #doublegolden ♬ birfday – bee🇫🇲

You can always find an extra special reason to celebrate if you want to. Celebrate your Triple Golden Birthday. Or, if you have kids, celebrate their various special birthdays.

What is the point of an Emerald Birthday?

Some TikTok users will tell you that your Emerald Birthday or any of the others will grant you good luck, either for the day or the whole year. The rarer the birthday, the more luck you get.

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@zjeanie #greenscreen #greenscreenvideo #emeraldbirthday #creatorsearchinsights ♬ Blade Runner 2049 – Synthwave Goose

Others are bringing astrology, birthstone analysis, and the like into the mix for the Emerald Birthday in particular, making claims about what this day means about you and what the following year might look like. Whether or not you take stock in any of this is entirely up to you, but it can be fun regardless.

When did the Emerald Birthday trend start?

This TikTok trend got big around Aug. of 2024, but the idea of these types of birthdays has been around for a long time. There are even TikTok videos that predate 2024 explaining what each of these terms mean, especially the simpler ones.

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@ptqlrv collecting “happy birthday ate pat” until november 8 🥳🎉#blackpink #lisa #blackpinklisa #actives? #moots? #fyp #foryoupage #_enkrk #ptqlrv ♬ the boy is mine sped up – .

The idea of the Golden Birthday was reportedly conceived by American entrepreneur and author Joan Bramsch. She came up with the concept in the 1950s for her five kids in order to make these events all the more special for them.

Emerald Birthday trend videos

@jenniveve123 Happy platinum birthday to me ig #fyp #foryou #platinum #birthday #21 ♬ WHY ARE PPL USING THIS SOUND – John Phillips
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@anna_thespacewizard Do you know what’s a crown birthday #crowns #crownbirthday #happybirthday #birthdaygirl #bloodwars #raffles ♬ original sound – ☆The Space Wizard☆
@dessertsbylaraa #pipingbuttercream #piping #emeraldgreen #happybirthday #glittercakes ♬ Like a Dream – Mauve
Emerald Birthday trend video about missing Golden and Diamond Birthdays.
@povslibby/TikTok
Emerald Birthday trend video about a 13-year-old Golden Birthday.
@povslibby/TikTok
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Emerald Birthday trend video on people bragging about their Diamond Birthdays.
@povslibby/TikTok
Emerald Birthday trend video showing a Platinum Birthday gift.
@jessmorales__/TikTok
TikTok video showing a heart-shaped cake with gold frosting.
@jessmorales__/TikTok
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