Is April 19 Aries or Taurus? The two border days
| Birthday | Aries all day | Sign changed that day | Taurus all day |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 19 | 60 (PT 48) | 36 (PT 48) | 0 (PT 0) |
| April 20 | 0 (PT 0) | 60 (PT 48) | 36 (PT 48) |
Number of years out of 96, 1930 to 2025, US Eastern time; Pacific time in brackets. Every other day of April was the same sign in all 96 years in both time zones.
Your birth year. In US Eastern time the Sun entered Taurus on April 19 in these 36 years: 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025. In every other year from 1930 to 2025 it entered on April 20. So if your year is on the list, April 19 was Aries until the change and Taurus after it, and April 20 was Taurus all day. If it is not, April 19 was Aries all day and April 20 turned Taurus during the day. In Pacific time the change came three hours earlier on the clock. The calendar above gives the exact minute for your year.
The Sun's crossing into Taurus lands on one of two dates, and the Eastern-clock counts are lopsided. April 19 opened as Aries in 60 Aprils and had the Sun change signs during it in 36; no April 19 ever opened as Taurus. April 20 is the reverse: it contained the crossing 60 times, began as Taurus in 36 more, and never began as Aries.
Every year from 1930 to 2030 with the minute of the change: April 19 zodiac sign by year · April 20 zodiac sign by year.
April Aries: born April 1 to 19
April has no first-decan Aries at all. The Sun has already passed 10 degrees of the sign by April 1, so April covers decans two and three of Aries. The tradition calls Aries cardinal fire ruled by Mars, a sign that opens things, and April is the stretch when Northern Hemisphere spring is under way after the March equinox set the Sun at 0 degrees Aries.
The middle third closes when the Sun reaches 20 degrees, usually on April 9, which was true in 57 of 96 years. Up to then the decan belongs to the Sun in both classical and modern lists, and the Sun is exalted in Aries, so astrologers read that group as the most self-assured. The last third, April 10 through 19, goes to Venus in the old faces and Jupiter in modern lists: more warmth, more appetite for company.
April Taurus: born April 20 to 30
Almost all April Taurus birthdays sit at the very front of the sign. Taurus is fixed earth under Venus in the tradition, and its opening days are read as the plainest version: steady, sensual, slow to change its mind. April 21 to 29 form the first decan, given to Mercury in the faces and to Venus itself in modern lists.
April 30 is the odd one out. The Sun normally reaches 10 degrees of Taurus on that day, and the count is 77 out of 96 years. That puts the date in the second decan, the Moon's under the old faces and Mercury's under modern lists. In the tradition the Moon is exalted in Taurus, which is why an April 30 birthday is read as Taurus with an extra pull toward comfort and home.
April birthdays by decan
A decan is a 10° third of a sign, about ten days of the calendar. This is where each April birthday falls, with the Sun's position at noon:
| Born | Decan | Ruler (classical faces) | Ruler (modern) |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 1–9 | ♈︎ Second decan of Aries | the Sun | the Sun |
| April 10–19 | ♈︎ Third decan of Aries | Venus | Jupiter |
| April 20–29 | ♉︎ First decan of Taurus | Mercury | Venus |
| April 30 | ♉︎ Second decan of Taurus | the Moon | Mercury |
Most common decan at noon US Eastern time, 1930 to 2025. Days where the answer changed with the year: April 9, April 10, April 19, April 20, April 30. Classical rulers from the table of faces (Chaldean order, as in Lilly's Christian Astrology); modern rulers as listed in Wikipedia's "Decan (astrology)".
Why the Aries–Taurus change moves from year to year
Over the decades the crossing has crept toward the 19th. No April 19 crossing occurred in the 1930s; by the 1960s there were 3, by the 1980s 6, and 5 in the six Aprils from 2020 to 2025. April 20 crossings fell from 10 to 1. The shift follows the leap-day cycle.
A Pacific clock splits the two dates evenly: 48 crossings fell on April 19 and 48 fell on April 20, compared with 36 and 60 in the East. In 2026 the Sun moved into Taurus on April 19, Eastern time 9:39 p.m., which was 6:39 p.m. Pacific; only a baby born after that moment counts as Taurus. In 2027 it waits until the 20th, Eastern time 3:17 a.m.
When the Sun entered Taurus, 2021 to 2030
| Year | Eastern time | Pacific time |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Apr 19, 4:33 p.m. | Apr 19, 1:33 p.m. |
| 2022 | Apr 19, 10:24 p.m. | Apr 19, 7:24 p.m. |
| 2023 | Apr 20, 4:13 a.m. | Apr 20, 1:13 a.m. |
| 2024 | Apr 19, 9:59 a.m. | Apr 19, 6:59 a.m. |
| 2025 | Apr 19, 3:56 p.m. | Apr 19, 12:56 p.m. |
| 2026 | Apr 19, 9:39 p.m. | Apr 19, 6:39 p.m. |
| 2027 | Apr 20, 3:17 a.m. | Apr 20, 12:17 a.m. |
| 2028 | Apr 19, 9:09 a.m. | Apr 19, 6:09 a.m. |
| 2029 | Apr 19, 2:55 p.m. | Apr 19, 11:55 a.m. |
| 2030 | Apr 19, 8:43 p.m. | Apr 19, 5:43 p.m. |
Moment the Sun reached 0° Taurus, from the astronomy-engine ephemeris (tropical zodiac), rounded to the minute, with that year's daylight saving time.
Aries and Taurus side by side: symbol, element, ruler
| ♈︎ Aries | ♉︎ Taurus | |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | ♈︎ Ram | ♉︎ Bull |
| Element | Fire | Earth |
| Quality | Cardinal | Fixed |
| Ruler | Mars | Venus |
| Opposite sign | Libra | Scorpio |
| Place in the zodiac | 1 of 12 | 2 of 12 |
Aries is fire, cardinal and ruled by Mars; Taurus is earth, fixed and ruled by Venus. The Ram charges and the Bull plants its feet. April moves from the sign that opens the zodiac to the one that settles in. Venus is in detriment in Aries and Mars is in detriment in Taurus, so each sign's ruler sits uneasily in the other's sign, which astrologers use to explain why these neighbors seem so unlike.
Each sign in full: Aries zodiac sign · Taurus zodiac sign.
Famous people born in April
The list below skips April 19 and 20 altogether, since it needs a birthday that stays in one sign all day. It is short and does not rank the signs.
♈︎ April Aries
- Jane Goodall, English primatologist and anthropologistApr 3, 1934
- Robert Downey Jr., American actorApr 4, 1965
- Jackie Chan, Hong Kong actor and martial artistApr 7, 1954
- Francis Ford Coppola, American filmmakerApr 7, 1939
- Emma Watson, English actressApr 15, 1990
♉︎ April Taurus
- Al Pacino, American actorApr 25, 1940
- Jet Li, Chinese-Singaporean martial artist and actorApr 26, 1963
- Jessica Alba, American actress and businesswomanApr 28, 1981
- Michelle Pfeiffer, American actressApr 29, 1958
Full birth charts with a recorded birth time, born in April: Marlon Brando (April 3, Aries) · Kristen Stewart (April 9, Aries) · Emma Watson (April 15, Aries) · Anya Taylor-Joy (April 16, Aries) · Kourtney Kardashian (April 18, Aries) · Tim Curry (April 19, Aries) · Gigi Hadid (April 23, Taurus) · Al Pacino (April 25, Taurus) · Jessica Alba (April 28, Taurus).
Birth dates from Wikidata, only people whose Sun was in the same sign for the whole birthday in every time zone. The chart pages use birth times on record.
April birthdays in US birth data
| Born in April | Share of April births |
|---|---|
| April 1–18 (Aries) | 60.2% |
| April 19 and 20 (either) | 6.7% |
| April 21–30 (Taurus) | 33.2% |
SSA tallies covering 2000 through 2014 show April with 11,024 births a day. That ranks it 11th of the twelve months. By sign, 60.2 percent arrived April 1 to 18, only 6.7 percent on the two cusp days, and 33.2 percent from April 21 on.
US births 2000 to 2014 from the Social Security Administration, as published by FiveThirtyEight: 4,960,750 April births. Average per day: 11,024.
Aries and Taurus in love
Aries and Taurus sit thirty degrees apart, a semisextile, and share neither element nor quality. What the tradition expects is a mismatch of tempo: Aries wants to act now, Taurus wants to be sure first. It works best when Aries lets Taurus take its time and Taurus lets Aries start the plan.
The usual element matches give Aries Leo and Sagittarius (also fire) and Taurus Virgo and Capricorn (also earth). Fire is said to suit air and earth to suit water, so Gemini, Libra and Aquarius are Aries' complements while Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces are Taurus'. Your Sun is one of ten placements, and a pair of full charts says more than a pair of April birthdays.
Aries and Taurus compatibility · Aries and Aries · Taurus and Taurus · Aries's soulmate · Taurus's soulmate · compatibility by two birth dates
Questions about April zodiac signs
Is April Aries or Taurus?
Both. The first 18 days are Aries and April 21 onward is Taurus, in every year. Only April 19 and 20 are open.
Is April 19 Aries or Taurus?
Mostly Aries: it opened as Aries in 60 Aprils, and in 36 the Sun changed signs during the day. A late-evening birth on the 19th can therefore be Taurus.
Is April 20 Aries or Taurus?
Taurus, unless you were born early. In 60 years by Eastern time the Sun crossed during April 20, and a baby born before the crossing is Aries. The other 36 Aprils began that day as Taurus.
Is April 30 Taurus?
Yes, whatever the year and whichever of those two clocks you use. It is also usually the one April date in the second decan of Taurus.
What is an April Aries like?
Astrologers read April Aries as second- or third-decan Aries. The second decan, up to about April 9, belongs to the Sun; the third belongs to Venus in the classical faces and to Jupiter in modern lists.
Which symbol stands for April?
Aries has the Ram ♈ and Taurus has the Bull ♉.
Is April a fire sign?
Partly. Aries is fire but Taurus is earth, so the first part of April is fire and the rest is earth.
Do I need a birth time for an April birthday?
Only for births on April 19 or 20. On any other April date the sign is fixed.
Sources
- Astronomy Engine: the open-source ephemeris library behind our planet positions, dates and statistics
- William Lilly, Christian Astrology (London, 1647): scan of the original edition
- Wikipedia: Decan (astrology): modern decan rulers
- Wikidata: birth dates of the famous people listed
- How we create our readings: our own calculation of sign dates, positions and the 1930 to 2025 statistics
Zodiac signs of the other months
- January: Capricorn to 18, Aquarius from 22
- February: Aquarius to 17, Pisces from 20
- March: Pisces to 18, Aries from 22
- April: Aries to 18, Taurus from 21
- May: Taurus to 19, Gemini from 22
- June: Gemini to 19, Cancer from 23
- July: Cancer to 21, Leo from 24
- August: Leo to 21, Virgo from 24
- September: Virgo to 21, Libra from 24
- October: Libra to 21, Scorpio from 25
- November: Scorpio to 20, Sagittarius from 24
- December: Sagittarius to 20, Capricorn from 23
Days that are always one sign, US Eastern and Pacific time, 1930 to 2025. The days between depend on the year. All twelve months in one table: zodiac signs by month. All twelve signs with the exact change by year: zodiac sign dates.
Written by The Zodiac Atlas editorial team with the help of AI and edited by a person. Every date, count and share on this page comes from our own run of the astronomy-engine ephemeris (tropical zodiac) over 1930 to 2025, with historical US time zone rules. Traits follow the Western tradition. Astrology is a symbolic tradition, not a science.