"Many happy returns" is a greeting which is used by some on

birthdays A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage. Many religion ...

, and by others in response to "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year". Since the 18th century this has been used as a salutation to offer the hope that a happy day being marked would recur many more times. It is now primarily used, by some, on birthdays. Prior to the mid-19th century, it was used at any celebratory or festive event. The phrase is more common in

British English British English is the set of Variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United Kingdom, especially Great Britain. More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England, or, more broadly, to ...

Indian English Indian English (IndE, IE) or English (India) is a group of English dialects spoken in the Republic of India and among the Indian diaspora and native to India. English is used by the Government of India for communication, and is enshrined ...

Hiberno English Hiberno-English or Irish English (IrE), also formerly sometimes called Anglo-Irish, is the set of dialects of English native to the island of Ireland. In both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, English is the first language in e ...

and to some degree in

Canadian English Canadian English (CanE, CE, en-CA) encompasses the Variety (linguistics), varieties of English language, English used in Canada. According to the 2016 Canadian Census, 2016 census, English was the first language of 19.4 million Canadians or ...

than in

American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lang ...

. Current usage is often as a more formal option than "Happy Birthday". It is also often found on greetings cards. Its earliest attributable use was by Lady Newdigate in a letter written in 1789 (and published in ''Newdigate-Newdegate Cheverels'' in 1898) The letter was written in London on 31 May 1789 by Hester Margaretta, Lady Newdigate, to her husband, Sir Roger Newdigate, 5th Baronet, and refers to a wish for their wedding day. A much earlier reference is found in

Joseph Addison Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 May 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician. He was the eldest son of Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard Steele, with w ...

's newspaper ''The Freeholder'': An alternative explanation is that "returns" here is used in the sense of "yield" or "profit", as in "investment returns". Therefore, "many happy returns of the day" would be a wishing a person a rewarding day, full of happiness. This use has been traced back to

in 1716.

References

{{reflist Birthday culture English proverbs