August 21 zodiac sign: Leo, not Virgo
If you were born on August 21, your sign is Leo, not Virgo: from 1980 to 2030 the Sun always enters Virgo on August 22 or 23, so this date is Leo at any hour. The Sun sits about 28° into Leo on this date, in the third decan, where Leo's core takes on a Mars flavour. Here's what the date fixes, and what only your birth time can tell you.
Your sign: Leo
The fixed fire sign that brings warmth and refuses to be small.
A Leo Sun puts the Sun in its own sign — your core identity is amplified, radiant, and visible. You generate energy that other people warm themselves on. The friend whose laugh fills the room, the colleague who turns a project into something people are proud to be part of, the host who makes a dinner party an actual event — that's you, in your element.
- ElementFire
- ModalityFixed
- RulerSun
- SeasonJuly 23 – August 22
The date fixes the Sun; the hour fixes the rest. A Leo born August 21 around sunset has Aquarius rising, and a different first impression from one born at dawn. Your rising sign needs the birth time; the twelve Leo Sun combinations show what each one changes.
Leo dates, traits & compatibility → · What a Leo birth chart looks like →
In the US (2000–2014), an average of 11,965 babies were born on each August 21, rank 55 of 366 dates; Leo is number 1 of 12 signs (8.96%). What's the most common zodiac sign?
The Moon on August 21, 1980–2030
Across the 51 years from 1980 to 2030, the Moon at noon UTC on August 21 was most often in Aries, Taurus, Libra, Sagittarius, and Pisces (5 years each) and least often in Cancer and Aquarius (3 years each). Unlike the Sun, the Moon sign depends on the birth year. On August 21, 2026, the Moon stays in Sagittarius the whole UTC day.
- 1980 Sagittarius → Capricorn 15:11
- 1981 Taurus
- 1982 Virgo → Libra 12:22
- 1983 Capricorn → Aquarius 02:25
- 1984 Gemini
- 1985 Libra → Scorpio 01:51
- 1986 Pisces
- 1987 Cancer → Leo 21:58
- 1988 Sagittarius
- 1989 Aries → Taurus 15:10
- 1990 Virgo
- 1991 Capricorn
- 1992 Taurus → Gemini 12:36
- 1993 Libra
- 1994 Aquarius → Pisces 10:27
- 1995 Gemini → Cancer 02:24
- 1996 Scorpio
- 1997 Aries
- 1998 Leo
- 1999 Sagittarius → Capricorn 22:59
- 2000 Taurus
- 2001 Virgo → Libra 08:19
- 2002 Aquarius
- 2003 Gemini
- 2004 Libra → Scorpio 04:37
- 2005 Pisces → Aries 23:01
- 2006 Cancer → Leo 06:33
- 2007 Scorpio → Sagittarius 04:44
- 2008 Aries → Taurus 18:38
- 2009 Virgo
- 2010 Capricorn
- 2011 Taurus
- 2012 Libra
- 2013 Aquarius → Pisces 04:43
- 2014 Cancer
- 2015 Scorpio
- 2016 Aries
- 2017 Leo → Virgo 20:25
- 2018 Sagittarius → Capricorn 04:00
- 2019 Aries → Taurus 04:37
- 2020 Virgo → Libra 09:16
- 2021 Aquarius
- 2022 Gemini
- 2023 Libra → Scorpio 23:22
- 2024 Pisces → Aries 23:02
- 2025 Leo
- 2026 Sagittarius
- 2027 Aries
- 2028 Virgo
- 2029 Capricorn → Aquarius 15:29
- 2030 Taurus → Gemini 05:12
In 25 of those 51 years (49%) the Moon changed sign during August 21 itself, so in those years the birth time decides the Moon as well as the rising sign. Cells with an arrow mark them, with the UTC time of the change. The Moon was exactly full on August 21 in 1994 and 2013, and new in 2017.
Find your birth year. One sign means the Moon spent the whole UTC day there; an arrow means it changed sign that day, at the UTC time shown: born before it, the first sign; after it, the second. The Moon sign calculator settles it in seconds; your birth chart adds the rising sign and houses.
Times in UTC: a birth late in the evening in the Americas, or early in the morning in Asia, can fall on the neighbouring UTC date.
August 2026: full moon August 28, 2026, Pisces · new moon August 12, 2026, Leo.
Your decan: the third decan of Leo
Each sign is divided into three 10° decans, and each decan has a sub-ruler that shades the sign's core. Degrees 20–30 of Leo belong to Mars: your drive — how you take action, what makes you angry, and what you fight for. Read it as Leo with a Mars accent — the fire core is unchanged, the emphasis moves.
Seven of Wands
Defence · Perseverance · Standing ground. The card assigned to this ten-degree slice of the zodiac — a birthday card in the same sense a sun sign is a birthday sign: one lens on the date, not a verdict.
Read the Seven of Wands in full on My Day Check →All the tarot cards for August 21: decan, sign, ruling planet and year card →
What the date can't tell you
The Sun is one placement out of ten. Your Moon sign changes every two to three days, so Leos born on August 21 in different years have different Moons; your rising sign changes every two hours and needs a birth time and place. Those two carry most of what people mean by "personality" in a chart.
Born August 21? Add your year, time and place
Your Moon and rising depend on the year and hour. Computed here in a few seconds — then your full chart with a preview of its reading, no sign-up.
Your big three
- Sun
- Moon
- Rising
If you want it read afterwards: the full reading of your chart, written by AI, is $3.99, one-time. See a sample reading
Or browse the twelve possibilities: Leo Sun with each Moon → · just my Moon sign · how the free birth chart calculator works
Classic matches for an August 21 birthday
By sun sign, Leo pairs most easily with Aries, Sagittarius, Gemini, Libra. Sun-sign compatibility is the coarse layer; the couple reading compares both full charts.
Common questions
What zodiac sign is August 21?
August 21 is Leo, the fixed fire sign ruled by Sun. The Sun sits at roughly 28° Leo on this date, in the third decan.
What decan is August 21?
The third decan of Leo (20°–30°), sub-ruled by Mars. Decans divide each sign into three 10° slices; the sub-ruler adds a second flavour to the sign's core — here your drive — how you take action, what makes you angry, and what you fight for.
What tarot card is August 21?
In the Golden Dawn system each decan has a minor arcana card: for the third decan of Leo it is the Seven of Wands (defence, perseverance, standing ground). It's a birthday card in the same way a sun sign is — one lens, not a verdict.
What Moon sign is someone born on August 21?
It depends on the year, and in 49% of years on the hour too. For example: in 1980, Sagittarius or Capricorn; in 1990, Virgo; in 2000, Taurus; in 2010, Capricorn; in 2020, Virgo or Libra. Over 1980–2030 the Moon on August 21 was most often in Aries, Taurus, Libra, Sagittarius, and Pisces. A birth time and place pin it down.
Does everyone born on August 21 have the same chart?
No. They share the Sun in Leo, but the Moon changes sign every two to three days, the rising sign every two hours, and the outer planets by year. Two people born August 21 in different years can have almost nothing else in common in their charts.