Twin siblings usually share clothes, toys and in some cases even looks and DNA. 

But two twin brothers born in Arizona, USA last week will always have one significant difference: their birth year. 

Sawyer Mathew Shay was born at 11.51pm on New Year's Eve weighing 2.49kg, making him one of the last babies to be born in 2016. 

10 minutes later baby Sawyer got a little brother, as Everett Jackson Shay came into the world. He was born at 12.01am on the first day of 2017. 

The twins' parents said they were overcome with joy. 

“We're both feeling really thankful right now,” their father Brandon Shay told WTHR. “We’ve got these two beautiful gifts from God and couldn't be happier.”

A spokesperson for Banner Health, where the twins were born, remarked on the extraordinary nature of the twins' birth. 

“I have been at Banner for 25 years and I don't recall this happening in our history," a hospital spokesperson said. 

But although rare, it seems Sawyer and Everett are in good company: two other twins were also born on either side of the new year in San Diego, NBC San Diego reported.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.