Capricorn personality traits and characteristics
This is the sign of the long game, and the plain claim is that you work toward something years away without announcing it. Saturn, the planet of time, structure and limits, is the ruler, and the tradition draws a person who thinks in schedules and measures things by whether they last.
Earth gives the practicality and cardinal gives the push to begin. Put them together and you get the one who starts the plan and then sees it through. The Sun enters at the December solstice, the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere, which ties it to the turn of the season, when the year's darkest point passes and the light starts back.
The surface is reserved. People may take you for older than you are, or for cooler than you feel. Underneath, the dry humor is genuine, and so is the care you show by doing things.
Capricorn qualities: strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
A broken printer, a deadline in the morning, a team gone quiet: that is when you get noticed. Astrology credits you with discipline, resilience and an unusual willingness to do the dull part of a job properly.
You are steady under pressure and plan for the version of events that goes wrong. Others find that reassuring, and they often hand you the project that cannot fail.
Weaknesses
Work can crowd out everything else. The tradition treats rest as something to earn and pleasure as a reward for finishing, which means it can wait a long time. Pessimism comes with it: planning for the worst is useful until it becomes the default mood.
Control is the other trap. You may hold back feelings, refuse help and hold others to the standard you set yourself. Saturn's lesson, as astrologers tell it, is that patience and rigidity are different things.
Capricorn in love
"I will call you when I land." In the tradition this sentence is the Capricorn love language: a promise small enough to keep and kept every time. You show feeling slowly, and you show it by being there, by remembering what matters to someone, by taking on the boring task so that they do not have to.
Trust is built over years in your book, so early dates may look careful, even formal. Once you commit, you treat a relationship as a project you intend to get right, and the loyalty is real. A Capricorn dating a Capricorn tends to share the work ethic and the reserve, and may need someone to say the feelings aloud.
A partner can read steadiness as distance. Saying the affection in words now and then, instead of leaving the proof to your actions, is the usual advice.
The Capricorn man and woman
Capricorn man
He keeps a plan, and a woman he likes usually appears in it before she knows. Astrology describes the Capricorn man as reserved, steady and a little formal, with a dry wit that comes out once he is comfortable. He shows interest by showing up, on time and prepared, and by remembering the small facts.
If you want to move things along, be clear and unhurried: name a plan, a time and a place. He respects people who say what they mean and tends to back away from drama and games.
Capricorn woman
In the spring, a wedding RSVP card arrives, and the Capricorn woman is the one who answers it the same day, with the plus-one decided, the gift ordered and the travel booked. The tradition draws her as poised, capable and quietly ambitious, a person who keeps promises and expects the same back.
In love she is careful and then deeply committed. She wants a partner who is serious about the future and does not mistake her reserve for lack of feeling. Asking her directly how she is doing, and meaning it, goes a long way.
Capricorn compatibility with every sign
Taurus and Virgo are fellow earth signs, and Scorpio and Pisces are a sextile away, so these four are the comfortable matches in the tradition. Cancer across the wheel, and Aries and Libra at ninety degrees, ask for more effort and often carry a stronger pull.
| With | Sign relationship | Elements | In the tradition |
|---|---|---|---|
| ♈︎ Aries | square | earth and fire | friction and pull |
| ♉︎ Taurus | trine | both earth | flows easily |
| ♊︎ Gemini | quincunx | earth and air | needs adjusting |
| ♋︎ Cancer | opposition | earth and water | friction and pull |
| ♌︎ Leo | quincunx | earth and fire | needs adjusting |
| ♍︎ Virgo | trine | both earth | flows easily |
| ♎︎ Libra | square | earth and air | friction and pull |
| ♏︎ Scorpio | sextile | earth and water | flows easily |
| ♐︎ Sagittarius | semi-sextile | earth and fire | needs adjusting |
| ♑︎ Capricorn | same sign | both earth | flows easily |
| ♒︎ Aquarius | semi-sextile | earth and air | needs adjusting |
| ♓︎ Pisces | sextile | earth and water | flows easily |
The sign relationship is the distance around the zodiac between the two Sun signs. The Sun is one planet of ten: to compare whole charts, enter both birth dates in the compatibility calculator or, with every planet by exact degree, the synastry chart calculator.
Capricorn as the rising sign, the sign on the eastern horizon at birth, reads differently from the Sun in Capricorn: see Capricorn rising.
Capricorn shares its element with Taurus and Virgo. How the three earth signs differ, and how much earth your own chart holds: earth signs. How earth gets on with the other three: zodiac elements and their compatibility.
Work and money
Which jobs suit a Capricorn? The ones with a ladder. Management, finance, law, engineering, construction, government and any field where seniority and results are measured over the years. The tenth house, which astrologers link with Capricorn, is the house of career and public standing, and you tend to treat it as home.
An envelope of cash for the holidays, counted and labeled before anyone asked: that is how the tradition pictures your relationship with money. You save, budget and think in decades. The weak point is the pleasure side, since a person who plans every year for retirement may forget to spend some of it enjoying the present.
How much Capricorn is in your chart?
Enter your birth date. The check looks at the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars, counts how many were in this sign, and, if your Sun was there, names your decan.
Example: January 4, 1994, Eastern time.
♑︎ Capricorn in your chart: 4 of 5
On January 4, 1994: Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars in Capricorn.
- ☉ Sun: Capricorn
- ☽ Moon: Libra
- ☿ Mercury: Capricorn
- ♀ Venus: Capricorn
- ♂ Mars: Capricorn
Your decan: the second (10° to 20° of Capricorn, Sun at 14°06′). In the classical table of faces it belongs to Mars. Usual dates: Dec 31 to Jan 9.
For the Moon, Venus, Mars and every other planet in one place, use the zodiac sign calculator.
Mercury, Venus and Mars next to this Sun
Pick out the Capricorn birthdays between 1930 and 2025: Mercury is in Capricorn too on 56.3%, in Sagittarius on 27.1% and in Aquarius on 16.6%. With Mercury in Sagittarius, speech tends to run broader and more hopeful than the Sun sign suggests; with Mercury in Aquarius, thinking goes toward systems and unusual routes to a practical end.
Venus sits in Aquarius on 31.8% and in Sagittarius on 25.5%, ahead of Capricorn itself at 23.4%. Love in many of these lives follows another sign's habits: more detached in Aquarius, more restless and frank in Sagittarius. Mars, exalted in Capricorn, is there for 12.9%. Tally the Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars beside the Sun: 27% of the dates have zero of them in Capricorn, 47.8% carry just one and 22.8% carry two. The reverse is common too. 22.7% of birthdays under some other Sun sign have the Moon, Mercury, Venus or Mars in Capricorn.
| Planet | Where it is for people with this Sun sign, 1930–2025 |
|---|---|
| ☿ Mercury | Capricorn56.3%, Sagittarius27.1%, Aquarius16.6% |
| ♀ Venus | Aquarius31.8%, Sagittarius25.5%, Capricorn23.4%, Scorpio10.8%, Pisces8.5% |
| ♂ Mars | Capricorn12.9%, Sagittarius12.7%, Scorpio12.1%, Aquarius11.1%, other signs less |
Our count of all 35,064 dates from 1930 to 2025, at noon UTC: 2,826 of them have the Sun in this sign.
When is Capricorn season? 2026 and 2027 dates
Capricorn season is the stretch of the year when the Sun is in Capricorn. In 2026 it starts on December 21 at 3:50 p.m. EST and ends on January 20 at 2:30 a.m. EST, when the Sun moves into Aquarius. In 2027 the Sun arrives on December 21 at 9:42 p.m. EST and leaves on January 20 at 8:21 a.m. EST. The minute shifts every year, which is why a birthday on the first or last day can belong to either sign.
| Season | Starts (Eastern) | Ends (Eastern) | Starts (Pacific) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capricorn 2026 | Dec 21, 3:50 p.m. EST | Jan 20, 2:30 a.m. EST | Dec 21, 12:50 p.m. PST | 29.4 days |
| Capricorn 2027 | Dec 21, 9:42 p.m. EST | Jan 20, 8:21 a.m. EST | Dec 21, 6:42 p.m. PST | 29.4 days |
Moments of the Sun's entry into Capricorn and into Aquarius, from the astronomy-engine ephemeris (tropical zodiac), rounded to the minute. What the coming year holds for the sign: Capricorn horoscope 2027.
Capricorn birth dates by year
Capricorn runs from Dec 22 to Jan 19 in most lists. The Sun reaches Capricorn at a different hour each year, so the first day moves. In US Eastern time, from 1930 to 2025, Capricorn began on Dec 21 in 58 years and on Dec 22 in 38 years; Aquarius took over on Jan 20 in 75, on Jan 19 in 18 and on Jan 21 in 3.
First day of the sign by decade
| Births in | Capricorn began on (Eastern) |
|---|---|
| 1930s | Dec 22 (8), Dec 21 (2) |
| 1940s | Dec 22 (6), Dec 21 (4) |
| 1950s | Dec 22 (6), Dec 21 (4) |
| 1960s | Dec 21 (6), Dec 22 (4) |
| 1970s | Dec 22 (6), Dec 21 (4) |
| 1980s | Dec 21 (8), Dec 22 (2) |
| 1990s | Dec 21 (7), Dec 22 (3) |
| 2000s | Dec 21 (8), Dec 22 (2) |
| 2010s | Dec 21 (9), Dec 22 (1) |
| 2020s | Dec 21 (6) |
Number of years in each decade. 2020s: 2020 to 2025.
Born on a border day? Each one has its own page with the hour of the change for every year: Dec 21 · Dec 22 · Jan 20 · Jan 19 · Jan 21.
By birth month, with a calendar of every day: January zodiac signs: Capricorn or Aquarius · December zodiac signs: Sagittarius or Capricorn. All twelve months: zodiac signs by month.
Capricorn decans
Each sign is split into three 10° parts called decans. The Sun moves about one degree a day, so a decan lasts about ten days.
| Decan | Usual dates | Ruler (classical faces) | Ruler (modern) |
|---|---|---|---|
| First, 0° to 10° | Dec 22 – Dec 30 | Jupiter | Saturn |
| Second, 10° to 20° | Dec 31 – Jan 9 (starts this day in 75 of 96 years) | Mars | Venus |
| Third, 20° to 30° | Jan 10 – Jan 19 (starts this day in 80 of 96 years) | the Sun | Mercury |
Start dates in US Eastern time, 1930–2025. Classical rulers from the table of faces (Chaldean order, as in Lilly's Christian Astrology); modern rulers as listed in Wikipedia's "Decan (astrology)".
Capricorn symbol, ruler and element
Capricorn's symbol is the Sea-Goat, a goat with a fish's tail, and its glyph, ♑, draws that tail in a single curling line. Greek myth links the figure to Pan, who jumped into the Nile to escape the monster Typhon and turned into a goat above the water and a fish below. Another story ties it to Amalthea, the goat who nursed the infant Zeus.
Saturn rules the sign and Mars is exalted in it, so the picture is ambition under control: drive that has been given a plan. Cancer, across the wheel, holds the Moon at home and Saturn at a disadvantage, which the tradition reads as structure facing shelter.
In tarot, the Golden Dawn gave Capricorn the card The Devil: what it means upright, reversed and in love. Your Sun sign is the Sun's place at birth, and the Sun has a card of its own, The Sun. All 22 cards with their signs: tarot card meanings.
The card of Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn, is The World. Earth, the element of Capricorn, belongs to The World.
Other planets in Capricorn
Your Sun sign is one placement. If another planet was in this sign when you were born, its page reads that part of you: ☽ Moon · ☿ Mercury · ♀ Venus · ♂ Mars · ♃ Jupiter · ♄ Saturn · ♅ Uranus · ♆ Neptune · ♇ Pluto · ☊ North Node · ⚸ Black Moon Lilith.
Famous Capricorn people
- Bradley Cooper, American actor and filmmakerJan 5, 1975
- Umberto Eco, Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelistJan 5, 1932
- David Bowie, English musician and actorJan 8, 1947
- Jeff Bezos, American business magnateJan 12, 1964
- Stephen Hawking, British theoretical physicist, cosmologist and authorJan 8, 1942
- Muhammad Ali, American boxerJan 17, 1942
- Elvis Presley, American singer and actorJan 8, 1935
- Haruki Murakami, Japanese writerJan 12, 1949
- Michael Schumacher, German racing driverJan 3, 1969
- Linus Torvalds, Finnish software engineerDec 28, 1969
- Orlando Bloom, English actor and modelJan 13, 1977
Birth dates from Wikidata, only entries with a single sourced date, and only if the Sun was in the sign for the whole birthday in every time zone. A Sun sign describes a style in the tradition; it does not explain anyone's success.
Mercury retrograde in Scorpio 2026: what it means for Capricorn
Other zodiac signs
Before this sign comes Sagittarius; after it, Aquarius. All twelve with their dates, elements and rulers: zodiac signs.
More of Capricorn in a birth chart: Capricorn horoscope 2027 (the year ahead, month by month) · Midheaven in Capricorn (career and public role) · rising sign calculator (Capricorn rising needs your birth time) · Moon sign calculator (your Moon sign, with the hour if it changed on your birthday) · solar return chart (your chart for the year from your next birthday) · planets today (which planets are in Capricorn right now) · Venus retrograde 2026 (dates and the signs it touches) · Capricorn and Capricorn compatibility (two Capricorn Suns together) · Sun, Moon and rising sign meaning (your Capricorn Sun read with the other two) · Capricorn stellium (three or more planets in Capricorn) · zodiac sign dates by year · Full Moon in Capricorn (dates in 2026 and 2027) · zodiac sign statistics (how common Capricorn is among birth dates, 1930 to 2025) · celebrity birth charts (famous people with a birth time on record), including Ariana Grande's birth chart (rising in Capricorn), Dolly Parton's birth chart (Sun in Capricorn), Kylie Jenner's birth chart (rising in Capricorn), Megan Fox's birth chart (rising in Capricorn), Jim Carrey's birth chart (Sun in Capricorn), Amy Winehouse's birth chart (Moon in Capricorn), Sydney Sweeney's birth chart (Moon in Capricorn), Timothée Chalamet's birth chart (Sun in Capricorn), Olivia Rodrigo's birth chart (rising in Capricorn), Cher's birth chart (Moon in Capricorn), LeBron James's birth chart (Sun in Capricorn), Elvis Presley's birth chart (Sun in Capricorn), David Bowie's birth chart (Sun in Capricorn), Kourtney Kardashian's birth chart (Moon in Capricorn), David Lynch's birth chart (Sun in Capricorn), Brad Pitt's birth chart (Moon in Capricorn), Anthony Bourdain's birth chart (Moon in Capricorn), Dakota Johnson's birth chart (rising in Capricorn), Finn Wolfhard's birth chart (Sun in Capricorn), Mac Miller's birth chart (Sun in Capricorn), Jungkook's birth chart (rising in Capricorn), Stevie Nicks's birth chart (Moon in Capricorn), George Clooney's birth chart (Moon in Capricorn), Frank Ocean's birth chart (Moon in Capricorn), Hailee Steinfeld's birth chart (Moon in Capricorn), Matt Damon's birth chart (Moon in Capricorn), Willow Smith's birth chart (Moon in Capricorn), Gwen Stefani's birth chart (rising in Capricorn), Zac Efron's birth chart (rising in Capricorn), Nicolas Cage's birth chart (Sun in Capricorn), Jane Fonda's birth chart (rising in Capricorn), Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's birth chart (Sun in Capricorn).
Questions people ask
What are the Capricorn dates?
Most lists say December 22 to January 19. By US Eastern time, though, the Sun reached Capricorn on December 21 in the majority of years from 1930 on, and on December 22 otherwise. The end moves too, from January 18 to January 20, so a birthday on December 21 or 22, or on January 18 to 20, needs its year and hour checked. The table higher up on the page lists each year.
What element is Capricorn?
Earth, along with Taurus and Virgo. Cardinal by quality, with Saturn as ruler. Despite the sea-goat, it is not a water sign.
How does Capricorn feel?
Astrology describes Capricorn as feeling things strongly and showing them late. Reserve is the usual cover, and the sense of duty can read as coldness. Close friends often see the dry humor and the loyalty first.
Can a Capricorn date a Capricorn?
The tradition says yes. Two Capricorns share a work ethic, a plan for the future and a reserve about feeling. Neither may say the warm thing first, so affection stays implied. Venus and Mars in each person's chart outweigh the Sun.
Who is Capricorn's soulmate?
The tradition gives Capricorn no soulmate sign. Taurus and Virgo come up first for sharing its patience and long view, and Cancer, opposite, supplies the warmth Capricorn tends to hold back. Calling anyone a soulmate stays a personal verdict.
Who will Capricorn marry?
Capricorn's spouse cannot be read from a chart. The steadiest fits are Taurus and Virgo, and sometimes Scorpio or Pisces, since Capricorn wants a partner who respects commitments and plans ahead. Marriage is often described for this sign as a project built over years.
Who is a bad match for Capricorn?
Nobody is barred in advance. Aries and Libra sit ninety degrees from Capricorn: Aries wants to move now, Libra keeps weighing options, and neither suits a sign with a plan. Cancer, opposite, makes a third tense pairing, with feelings asked for out loud. Attraction is common in such pairs.
Who will break Capricorn's heart?
Astrology names no sign as Capricorn's heartbreaker. The hurt comes when a partner reads Capricorn's steadiness as distance and never notices that the promise kept and the boring task done were the affection. Cancer across the wheel tests it most, then Aries and Libra, both a square away.
What is the lucky number for Capricorn?
The astrology tradition behind this site gives Capricorn no lucky number, color or age. Those belong to horoscope columns and numerology, which differ by source, so no number is assigned here.
What is the Capricorn angel number?
Angel numbers come from numerology and not from the zodiac. Sources disagree, and the tradition used here gives Capricorn none.
Is Capricorn going to have a good 2026?
No sign is promised a good year. A checkable fact: Saturn, Capricorn's ruler, was in Pisces until February 13, 2026 and then moved into Aries. Horoscope columns draw forecasts from that move, and those forecasts are commentary you cannot test.
What is the Capricorn symbol?
The Sea-Goat, with a curling fish tail drawn into the glyph ♑.
What are the Capricorn decans?
Every decan is 10° wide and lasts about ten days, and Capricorn has three. The page's table lists them with their rulers, and the lookup beside it shows where your own Sun sits.
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
Written by The Zodiac Atlas editorial team with the help of AI and edited by a person. Element, quality, ruler and decans follow the Western tradition; dates and shares come from our own run of every date from 1930 to 2025 with the astronomy-engine ephemeris (tropical zodiac). Astrology is a symbolic tradition, not a science; read a sign as a set of questions about yourself.