This is the definitive reference for zodiac sign dates. Find your birthday below, read across to your sign, and you are done. Further down, you will find how the dates are set, what to do if you were born on a boundary day, and a month-by-month finder for quick lookups.
All dates below use the tropical zodiac, the system behind nearly all Western horoscopes. If you want the daily forecast for the sign you find here, head to our horoscope hub.
All 12 Zodiac Signs and Dates
| Sign | Dates | Symbol | Element |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | March 21 to April 19 | The Ram | Fire |
| Taurus | April 20 to May 20 | The Bull | Earth |
| Gemini | May 21 to June 20 | The Twins | Air |
| Cancer | June 21 to July 22 | The Crab | Water |
| Leo | July 23 to August 22 | The Lion | Fire |
| Virgo | August 23 to September 22 | The Maiden | Earth |
| Libra | September 23 to October 22 | The Scales | Air |
| Scorpio | October 23 to November 21 | The Scorpion | Water |
| Sagittarius | November 22 to December 21 | The Archer | Fire |
| Capricorn | December 22 to January 19 | The Sea-Goat | Earth |
| Aquarius | January 20 to February 18 | The Water Bearer | Air |
| Pisces | February 19 to March 20 | The Fish | Water |
How Zodiac Dates Are Set
The zodiac is a 360-degree band around Earth marking the sun’s apparent yearly path. Astrologers divide it into twelve equal segments of 30 degrees each, and the sun spends roughly a month traveling through each one. Your sun sign is simply whichever segment the sun occupied on the day you were born.
The tropical zodiac anchors this wheel to the seasons: it always begins with Aries at the March equinox, when day and night are roughly equal worldwide. That is why Aries is associated with spring beginnings in the Northern Hemisphere, Cancer with the summer solstice, Libra with the autumn equinox, and Capricorn with the winter solstice. The system is seasonal and symbolic rather than astronomical, which is worth knowing before anyone asks why the dates do not match the visible constellations.
Born on a Cusp? What to Do
If your birthday falls on the first or last day of a sign’s range, you are on what astrologers call the cusp, and a date chart alone cannot settle your sign. The sun moves from one sign to the next at a precise moment that shifts slightly from year to year, so someone born on March 20 could be Pisces or Aries depending on the year and the exact hour of birth.
The fix is simple: check your birth time. Any free birth chart calculator will tell you exactly which side of the boundary your sun falls on. Do not split the difference or claim both signs; in the traditional system, the sun is in one sign at any given moment.
The approximate boundary pairs, where this comes up most:
- Pisces and Aries: around March 20 to 21
- Taurus and Gemini: around May 20 to 21
- Cancer and Leo: around July 22 to 23
- Virgo and Libra: around September 22 to 23
- Scorpio and Sagittarius: around November 21 to 22
- Capricorn and Aquarius: around January 19 to 20
Tropical vs Sidereal: Why Dates Sometimes Differ
You may have seen a second set of zodiac dates online that shifts every sign by about three weeks. That is the sidereal zodiac, used in Vedic (Indian) astrology, and it is anchored to the actual positions of the constellations rather than the seasons.
The two systems diverged because of precession, a slow wobble in Earth’s axis that shifts the equinoxes over a roughly 26,000-year cycle. Two thousand years ago the tropical and sidereal zodiacs aligned; today they differ by about 24 degrees, or nearly a full sign.
Neither system is more “correct.” They are different frameworks with different histories. Nearly all Western horoscopes, including every page on this site, use the tropical system, so the dates in the table above are the ones your daily horoscope is written for.
Find Your Sign by Month
Scanning for your birth month? Here is the quick version.
- January: Capricorn (1st to 19th), Aquarius (20th to 31st)
- February: Aquarius (1st to 18th), Pisces (19th to 29th)
- March: Pisces (1st to 20th), Aries (21st to 31st)
- April: Aries (1st to 19th), Taurus (20th to 30th)
- May: Taurus (1st to 20th), Gemini (21st to 31st)
- June: Gemini (1st to 20th), Cancer (21st to 30th)
- July: Cancer (1st to 22nd), Leo (23rd to 31st)
- August: Leo (1st to 22nd), Virgo (23rd to 31st)
- September: Virgo (1st to 22nd), Libra (23rd to 30th)
- October: Libra (1st to 22nd), Scorpio (23rd to 31st)
- November: Scorpio (1st to 21st), Sagittarius (22nd to 30th)
- December: Sagittarius (1st to 21st), Capricorn (22nd to 31st)
Zodiac Signs by Element
The twelve signs divide into four element groups of three signs each, and each element shares a temperament. If you know your element, you already know your sign’s core drive.
Fire signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius. Enthusiastic, expressive, and action-oriented. Fire signs lead with instinct and inspiration, and they tend to light up the people around them. Their challenge is patience, because they want everything right now.
Earth signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn. Practical, grounded, and dependable. Earth signs deal in what is real and lasting: work, money, craft, and commitment. Their challenge is flexibility, because they can get stuck in routine.
Air signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius. Curious, communicative, and idea-driven. Air signs live in the world of thought, conversation, and connection. Their challenge is follow-through, because brilliant starts do not always become finishes.
Water signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces. Emotional, intuitive, and deeply feeling. Water signs navigate by instinct and empathy, and they form the strongest emotional bonds of the zodiac. Their challenge is boundaries, because they absorb other people’s moods easily.
As a shortcut: fire wants to act, earth wants to build, air wants to understand, and water wants to feel. Our zodiac compatibility guide shows how the elements pair up in love.
Zodiac Dates FAQ
What are the 12 zodiac signs in order with dates?
In calendar order: Capricorn (Dec 22 to Jan 19), Aquarius (Jan 20 to Feb 18), Pisces (Feb 19 to Mar 20), Aries (Mar 21 to Apr 19), Taurus (Apr 20 to May 20), Gemini (May 21 to Jun 20), Cancer (Jun 21 to Jul 22), Leo (Jul 23 to Aug 22), Virgo (Aug 23 to Sep 22), Libra (Sep 23 to Oct 22), Scorpio (Oct 23 to Nov 21), Sagittarius (Nov 22 to Dec 21).
Can I be two zodiac signs at once?
No. The sun occupies exactly one sign at any moment, so you have one sun sign. People born near a boundary sometimes feel torn between two signs’ descriptions, but checking the birth time settles which sign the sun was actually in.
Why do some websites show different dates for my sign?
They are probably using the sidereal zodiac from Vedic astrology, which runs about three weeks behind the tropical dates. Western horoscopes use the tropical system, so stick with the dates on this page when reading Western forecasts.
Do zodiac dates change every year?
Slightly. The exact moment the sun enters each sign can shift by up to a day from year to year, which is why boundary birthdays need a birth-time check. For everyone else, the standard ranges hold.
What element is my zodiac sign?
Fire signs are Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. Earth signs are Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. Air signs are Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. Water signs are Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. Your element describes your sign’s broad temperament: how it acts, how it loves, and how it handles stress.
What is my moon sign or rising sign?
Those depend on the exact time and place of your birth, not just the date. Our astrology for beginners guide explains how to find them, and our rising sign page covers the ascendant in detail.
Astrology is a tradition of interpretation and entertainment, not a science. Take what resonates and leave the rest.
