Aries Dates: March 21 – April 19

Aries runs from March 21 to April 19. The first and last day or two can shift by a day depending on the year, since the Sun changes sign at a slightly different moment each year.

Aries is a Fire sign with a Cardinal quality, ruled by Mars. Its symbol is the Ram ♈.

Traditionally Aries gets on best with Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius and Aquarius — signs of the same element or a complementary one. Its opposite sign, Libra, is often described as a strong attraction. Compatibility in astrology is folklore, not science, so treat it as fun.

About 8% of US babies are born under Aries, from CDC and Social Security records of every US birth from 1994 to 2014. An even split would be 8.3% for each sign.

Aries (March 21 – April 19), Taurus (April 20 – May 20), Gemini (May 21 – June 20), Cancer (June 21 – July 22), Leo (July 23 – August 22), Virgo (August 23 – September 22), Libra (September 23 – October 22), Scorpio (October 23 – November 21), Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21), Capricorn (December 22 – January 19), Aquarius (January 20 – February 18) and Pisces (February 19 – March 20).

In the US, Cancer is the most common sign, with about 9% of births, closely followed by Leo and Virgo: summer and early autumn are the busiest months for births, and Cancer is also one of the longest signs at 32 days. Capricorn is the rarest at about 7.5%, since it is the shortest sign and takes in the Christmas and New Year holidays, when fewer births are scheduled. The shares come from CDC and SSA records of every US birth from 1994 to 2014.

The Sun enters each sign at a slightly different time every year, so the first and last day of a sign can move by a day. Sites round these boundaries differently. If your birthday is on a cusp, a birth chart with your year, time and place of birth gives the exact answer.

Ophiuchus is a constellation the Sun passes through, but the Western tropical zodiac is fixed to the seasons, not the constellations, and has always had twelve signs. Ophiuchus is not part of it.