Is December 21 Sagittarius or Capricorn? The two border days
| Birthday | Sagittarius all day | Sign changed that day | Capricorn all day |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 21 | 38 (PT 26) | 58 (PT 70) | 0 (PT 0) |
| December 22 | 0 (PT 0) | 38 (PT 26) | 58 (PT 70) |
Number of years out of 96, 1930 to 2025, US Eastern time; Pacific time in brackets. Every other day of December was the same sign in all 96 years in both time zones.
Your birth year. In US Eastern time the Sun entered Capricorn on December 22 in these 38 years: 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1950, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011. In every other year from 1930 to 2025 it entered on December 21. So if your year is on the list, December 21 was Sagittarius all day and December 22 turned Capricorn during the day. If it is not, December 21 turned Capricorn during the day and December 22 was Capricorn all day. In Pacific time the change came three hours earlier on the clock. The calendar above gives the exact minute for your year.
Only two days stay open. By Eastern time, 38 Decembers kept the 21st in Sagittarius to the end, while 58 saw the Sun cross during it. The 22nd began in Capricorn for 58 Decembers, and in 38 the sign still changed after midnight. The 21st never began in Capricorn, and the Sun never arrived on the 23rd.
Every year from 1930 to 2030 with the minute of the change: December 21 zodiac sign by year · December 22 zodiac sign by year.
December Sagittarius: born December 1 to 21
December Sagittarians cover most of the sign, from 8 to 9 degrees to its end, so all three decans appear, though decan one only on the 1st. Over 96 years the Sun passed 10° on December 2 69 times, and 20° on December 12 53 times. The tradition calls the sign mutable fire ruled by Jupiter: candid, traveling in mind if not in body, a seeker of meaning who tires of routine.
The first decan, right at the start of the month, has Mercury as face ruler and Jupiter in modern lists. The second, to about the 11th, goes to the Moon in the old table and to Mars in modern ones. The last ten days are Saturn's in the faces and the Sun's in modern lists, so a mid-December Archer is read as the one most inclined to put discipline on its wanderlust. In the Northern Hemisphere, December is early winter, with the shortest days of the year close by.
December Capricorn: born December 22 to 31
December Capricorns are the sign's earliest births, born in the opening stretch of a new season. The Sun's 10° mark in Capricorn fell on December 31, which happened 74 times in 96 years. It came on December 30 once and in January the other 21 times. Capricorn is cardinal earth with Saturn as ruler: patient, practical, aimed at long-term results. Cardinal means it starts things, which suits a sign that opens at the solstice.
In the table of faces the first Capricorn decan belongs to Jupiter, while modern lists name Saturn, the sign's own ruler. The modern list makes a December Capricorn the plainest example of the sign, while the older one adds a Jupiter-like generosity under the reserve. Jupiter is in fall in Capricorn, so that reading carries a note of restraint.
December birthdays by decan
A decan is a 10° third of a sign, about ten days of the calendar. This is where each December birthday falls, with the Sun's position at noon:
| Born | Decan | Ruler (classical faces) | Ruler (modern) |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | ♐︎ First decan of Sagittarius | Mercury | Jupiter |
| December 2–11 | ♐︎ Second decan of Sagittarius | the Moon | Mars |
| December 12–21 | ♐︎ Third decan of Sagittarius | Saturn | the Sun |
| December 22–31 | ♑︎ First decan of Capricorn | Jupiter | Saturn |
Most common decan at noon US Eastern time, 1930 to 2025. Days where the answer changed with the year: December 2, December 11, December 12, December 21, December 22, December 31. 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 Sagittarius–Capricorn change moves from year to year
Capricorn starts at the solstice, and that date has moved earlier. Across the 1930s the 22nd collected 8 crossings and the 21st only 2. By the 1980s the tally flipped to 8 against 2. The next decades thinned the 22nd out: a single crossing in the 2010s, then nothing between 2020 and 2025. Leap years pull the solstice a day earlier and the three years after them push it back, so early solstices cluster near leap years.
On the Pacific side the clock lags three hours, which lifts the 21st to 70 crossings there where the East shows 58. The 22nd drops to 26 on the Pacific side, while the East keeps 38.
The 2026 solstice is on December 21: 3:50 p.m. in the East, 12:50 p.m. for Los Angeles. In 2027 it is the 21st again: 9:42 p.m. in the East, 6:42 p.m. for Los Angeles. Anyone born on the 21st in either year needs the birth time.
When the Sun entered Capricorn, 2021 to 2030
| Year | Eastern time | Pacific time |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Dec 21, 10:59 a.m. | Dec 21, 7:59 a.m. |
| 2022 | Dec 21, 4:47 p.m. | Dec 21, 1:47 p.m. |
| 2023 | Dec 21, 10:27 p.m. | Dec 21, 7:27 p.m. |
| 2024 | Dec 21, 4:20 a.m. | Dec 21, 1:20 a.m. |
| 2025 | Dec 21, 10:03 a.m. | Dec 21, 7:03 a.m. |
| 2026 | Dec 21, 3:50 p.m. | Dec 21, 12:50 p.m. |
| 2027 | Dec 21, 9:42 p.m. | Dec 21, 6:42 p.m. |
| 2028 | Dec 21, 3:20 a.m. | Dec 21, 12:20 a.m. |
| 2029 | Dec 21, 9:14 a.m. | Dec 21, 6:14 a.m. |
| 2030 | Dec 21, 3:09 p.m. | Dec 21, 12:09 p.m. |
Moment the Sun reached 0° Capricorn, from the astronomy-engine ephemeris (tropical zodiac), rounded to the minute, with that year's daylight saving time.
Sagittarius and Capricorn side by side: symbol, element, ruler
| ♐︎ Sagittarius | ♑︎ Capricorn | |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | ♐︎ Archer | ♑︎ Sea-Goat |
| Element | Fire | Earth |
| Quality | Mutable | Cardinal |
| Ruler | Jupiter | Saturn |
| Opposite sign | Gemini | Cancer |
| Place in the zodiac | 9 of 12 | 10 of 12 |
Fire and mutable gives way to earth and cardinal, so December passes from a sign that scatters energy to one that spends it on a plan. Jupiter rules the first and Saturn the second: growth, then limits. The Archer fires at a far target, and the Sea-Goat climbs a mountain by a set route. The change happens at the solstice, when the Sun turns around.
Each sign in full: Sagittarius zodiac sign · Capricorn zodiac sign.
Famous people born in December
Only people with a one-sign birthday appear on the list. With Capricorn holding just 10.1 days of December, the Archer side runs longer, with 9 names against 1 for Capricorn.
♐︎ December Sagittarius
- Britney Spears, American singer, songwriter, actress and modelDec 2, 1981
- Jim Morrison, American singer and poet; lead vocalist of The DoorsDec 8, 1943
- Sinéad O'Connor, Irish singer-songwriterDec 8, 1966
- Judi Dench, English actressDec 9, 1934
- Taylor Swift, American singer-songwriterDec 13, 1989
- Milla Jovovich, American actressDec 17, 1975
- Christina Aguilera, American singer, songwriter and actressDec 18, 1980
- Brad Pitt, American actorDec 18, 1963
- Steven Spielberg, American filmmakerDec 18, 1946
♑︎ December Capricorn
- Linus Torvalds, Finnish software engineerDec 28, 1969
Full birth charts with a recorded birth time, born in December: Britney Spears (December 2, Sagittarius) · Tyra Banks (December 4, Sagittarius) · Ian Somerhalder (December 8, Sagittarius) · Alexa Demie (December 11, Sagittarius) · Hailee Steinfeld (December 11, Sagittarius) · Frank Sinatra (December 12, Sagittarius) · Vanessa Hudgens (December 14, Sagittarius) · Billie Eilish (December 18, Sagittarius) · Brad Pitt (December 18, Sagittarius) · Christina Aguilera (December 18, Sagittarius) · Jane Fonda (December 21, Sagittarius) · Finn Wolfhard (December 23, Capricorn) · Timothée Chalamet (December 27, Capricorn) · LeBron James (December 30, Capricorn).
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.
December birthdays in US birth data
| Born in December | Share of December births |
|---|---|
| December 1–20 (Sagittarius) | 66.2% |
| December 21 and 22 (either) | 6.8% |
| December 23–31 (Capricorn) | 27% |
December came to 11,171 US births a day from 2000 to 2014, and its rank among the 12 months is 7th. Going by the fixed dates, 66.2 percent of December arrivals were Sagittarians and 27 percent Capricorns, and the 21st or 22nd brought 6.8 percent.
US births 2000 to 2014 from the Social Security Administration, as published by FiveThirtyEight: 5,194,432 December births. Average per day: 11,171.
Sagittarius and Capricorn in love
Fire and earth, mutable and cardinal: the tradition expects friction over pace. Sagittarius wants to leave and see; Capricorn wants a plan with dates in it. It improves when Capricorn lets a trip be a trip and Sagittarius agrees to finish what it starts.
For fuller matches the tradition looks to Aries and Leo for Sagittarius, who share its fire, with Gemini, Libra and Aquarius as air partners that feed it. Capricorn turns to Taurus and Virgo, fellow earth, and to Scorpio and Pisces, whose water softens it. Treat any pairing as a starting point, because the rest of both charts will change the picture.
Sagittarius and Capricorn compatibility · Sagittarius and Sagittarius · Capricorn and Capricorn · Sagittarius's soulmate · Capricorn's soulmate · compatibility by two birth dates
Questions about December zodiac signs
Is December Sagittarius or Capricorn?
Both. Sagittarius runs from the 1st to 20 and Capricorn from 23 to 31, whatever the year. The 21st and 22nd are the days that move.
Which sign is a December 21 birthday?
Often the day of the change. On the Eastern clock it stayed Sagittarius throughout 38 times and split 58 times, so an early birth is Sagittarius and a late one may be Capricorn.
Is December 22 a Capricorn?
In most years. The Eastern clock shows 58 Decembers as Capricorn from midnight, with the crossing still to come that day in 38.
Is December 25 a Capricorn?
Yes, every year we counted, by Eastern and Pacific clocks alike. The Sun has been there since the solstice.
How do the decans split December Sagittarians?
December covers all three, from the Mercury or Jupiter first to the Saturn or Sun third, so the 3rd and the 19th are different Archers in the tradition.
Is December a fire or an earth sign month?
Neither alone. The early days are Sagittarius, a fire sign, and the last nine are Capricorn, an earth sign.
Which symbols belong to December?
Sagittarius brings the Archer and Capricorn the Sea-Goat.
Should I know my birth hour for December?
For the 21st and 22nd, yes. Other days never change sign.
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.