Zodiac sign dates are the twelve date ranges that divide the year, one for each sign, running from Aries in late March to Pisces in late March of the following year. This page gives the complete list, with each sign's dates, element, ruling planet and symbol, and explains where the dates come from, why they sometimes shift by a day, and how the zodiac itself came to be. It is a reference page, meant to be bookmarked and returned to.
The zodiac is one of the oldest systems of symbols still in everyday use. Its twelve signs are about two thousand years old in their current form, and they have been used — and argued about — ever since. Whether you read them as entertainment, as a language for personality, or as a curiosity, the dates are the place to start: they are the key that turns a birthday into a sign.
The complete list of zodiac sign dates
- Aries — March 21 to April 19. Fire. Ruled by Mars. The Ram.
- Taurus — April 20 to May 20. Earth. Ruled by Venus. The Bull.
- Gemini — May 21 to June 20. Air. Ruled by Mercury. The Twins.
- Cancer — June 21 to July 22. Water. Ruled by the Moon. The Crab.
- Leo — July 23 to August 22. Fire. Ruled by the Sun. The Lion.
- Virgo — August 23 to September 22. Earth. Ruled by Mercury. The Maiden.
- Libra — September 23 to October 22. Air. Ruled by Venus. The Scales.
- Scorpio — October 23 to November 21. Water. Ruled by Pluto (Mars in the older tradition). The Scorpion.
- Sagittarius — November 22 to December 21. Fire. Ruled by Jupiter. The Archer.
- Capricorn — December 22 to January 19. Earth. Ruled by Saturn. The Goat.
- Aquarius — January 20 to February 18. Air. Ruled by Uranus (Saturn in the older tradition). The Water Bearer.
- Pisces — February 19 to March 20. Water. Ruled by Neptune (Jupiter in the older tradition). The Fish.
Each sign covers roughly thirty days, and the sequence never changes. The order — Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces — is the same in every Western source, and it is the order the Sun travels through the sky over the course of a year.
The signs by element and quality
The twelve signs are grouped in two ways that help make sense of the list. The first is by element: Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) and Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces). Fire signs are traditionally linked with energy and enthusiasm, Earth signs with steadiness and practicality, Air signs with thought and communication, and Water signs with feeling and intuition. The second grouping is by quality: Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) begin the seasons and are linked with starting things; Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) sit in the middle of the seasons and are linked with sustaining things; Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) close the seasons and are linked with adapting and changing.
These groupings are the reason the zodiac feels like a system rather than a list. A person who knows their sign's element and quality has a shorthand for their style: a Fire Cardinal like Aries starts things boldly, an Earth Fixed like Taurus sustains them steadily, a Water Mutable like Pisces adapts to how they feel. It is a language, not a diagnosis, and it is most useful when it helps you notice something about yourself or someone else.
Where the dates come from
The zodiac dates come from the tropical zodiac, which is tied to the seasons. The year begins, astrologically, at the spring equinox — the moment when day and night are equal, usually around March 20 or 21 in the northern hemisphere. That moment marks the start of Aries. The summer solstice, the longest day, marks the start of Cancer. The autumn equinox marks Libra, and the winter solstice marks Capricorn. The other eight signs fill the spaces between these four points, each covering roughly a twelfth of the year.
This is why the zodiac is sometimes called a calendar of the seasons rather than a map of the stars. The signs are named after constellations, but the tropical zodiac is anchored to the equinoxes and solstices, not to the stars themselves. Over the centuries, the stars have drifted away from the signs that bear their names — a slow movement called precession — so the constellation of Aries is no longer where the sign of Aries begins. The tropical zodiac kept the names and the seasonal anchors, and that is the system used by most Western astrologers and by this site.
Why the dates can shift by a day
The boundary dates can move by a day from year to year, because the Sun enters each sign at a specific moment rather than at midnight. The spring equinox, for example, can fall on March 19, 20 or 21 depending on the year, and the start of Aries moves with it. Leap years add a further small shift. The result is that most sources give dates that are correct for most years but off by a day in some.
For most people this does not matter: a birthday in the middle of a sign's range is unambiguous. For people born on or near a boundary, it matters a great deal, and the honest answer is to check the exact birth time. The zodiac sign finder confirms a sign from a birth date, and a birth chart calculator uses the birth time and place to give a definitive answer. The Aries horoscope dates page explains the same point for the Aries boundary, which is the most commonly checked one, since it falls at the equinox.
A short history of the zodiac
The twelve-sign zodiac took shape in Babylon about two and a half thousand years ago, when astronomers divided the Sun's path across the sky — the ecliptic — into twelve equal parts and named them after the constellations nearby. The Greeks adopted the system, gave the signs their familiar names and symbols, and added the ideas of elements and ruling planets. The Romans passed it on to Europe, where it was used for centuries alongside astronomy, medicine and farming, in a world that did not yet draw a sharp line between them.
The zodiac survived into the modern world partly because it is a good story and partly because it is a useful language. It gives people a way to talk about personality — to say "I am a Scorpio" and be understood, at least in outline, by someone who has never met them. Whether that language describes something real is a question that has been argued for centuries, and this site takes no position on it beyond the obvious: the signs are a tradition, they are entertaining, and they are a prompt for reflection. They are not a science, and they should never be used to make medical, financial or legal decisions.
Using this list
The simplest use of the list is to find a sign from a birthday — your own, or someone else's. From there, the horoscope hub has a profile for each sign, with its traits, love, career and compatibility. The zodiac compatibility calculator compares any two signs, and the birth chart calculator shows the Moon and rising signs as well, for a fuller picture. If you want to explore the Moon's role in the month, the moon calendar tool shows the New and Full Moons, and the moon phase tool shows tonight's phase.
Frequently asked questions
What are the zodiac sign dates?
The twelve signs run from Aries (March 21 – April 19) to Pisces (February 19 – March 20), each covering roughly a month. The complete list, with elements, rulers and symbols, is above.
Why do zodiac sign dates change slightly each year?
Because the Sun enters each sign at a specific moment, and that moment falls on different dates in different years. The equinox and solstice dates shift slightly, and leap years add a further small change.
What is the difference between the tropical and sidereal zodiacs?
The tropical zodiac is tied to the seasons and the equinoxes, and it is the system used in Western astrology. The sidereal zodiac is tied to the fixed stars and is used in Vedic astrology. The same birth date can give a different sign in each system.
How do I know my exact zodiac sign?
Use your birth date against the list above. If you were born within a day or two of a boundary, use a birth chart calculator with your exact birth time and place for a definitive answer.
What do the elements mean in the zodiac?
Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) are linked with energy, Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) with steadiness, Air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) with thought, and Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) with feeling. They are traditional associations, not scientific claims.
Where can I read more about my sign?
Each sign has a full profile on the horoscope hub, covering dates, element, ruler, strengths, love, career and compatibility. The zodiac sign finder confirms your sign from your birth date.