What is Harry Potter’s birthday in J.K. Rowling’s books?
Answer
31 July
Harry Potter’s birthday in J.K. Rowling’s books is 31 July.
Harry is born on 31 July 1980, according to the chronology established in the novels. His birthday is also J.K. Rowling’s birthday, which creates a deliberate biographical coincidence between author and protagonist.
The date matters within the story because Harry is living with the Dursleys when his eleventh birthday arrives. Hagrid’s visit that night reveals Harry’s magical identity and begins the journey that leads to Hogwarts. Later books continue to mark his birthday as an important point in the school-year calendar.
The date should not be confused with 31 October, the night Voldemort attacks Harry’s family. That event creates Harry’s lightning-shaped scar and begins the central conflict, but it is not his birthday. Harry’s birth year, 1980, also distinguishes him from J.K. Rowling, who was born in 1965.