George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 (modern Gregorian calendar), which corresponds to February 11, 1731 in the old Julian calendar that was used in the British colonies at the time.

Quick Scoop

The Basic Facts

  • Place of birth: Popes Creek, Westmoreland County, Virginia.
  • Original recorded date: February 11, 1731 (Julian calendar)..
  • Adjusted modern date: February 22, 1732 (Gregorian calendar), which is the date people use today when they ask “when was George Washington born”.

Why Two Different Dates?

In 1752, Britain and its colonies switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, which was already common in much of Europe.

The change did two main things: it moved New Year’s Day from March 25 to January 1, and it “skipped” 11 days to fix the calendar drift.

Because of this, Washington’s birthday shifted forward by 11 days and effectively by one year when written in the new system, turning February 11, 1731 (old style) into February 22, 1732 (new style).

How It’s Celebrated Now

Modern references, history books, and official commemorations in the United States almost always give his birthdate as February 22, 1732.

That is the date associated with federal “Washington’s Birthday” observances, even though the actual holiday is set as the third Monday in February.

TL;DR:

  • Historically (old calendar): February 11, 1731.
  • Today (standard answer): February 22, 1732.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.