📅 What Are the Dates for the Leo Sign?
The Leo zodiac sign runs from about July 23 to August 22. If your birthday falls anywhere in that window, your Sun is in Leo — you’re a Lion. That’s the clean answer most people are looking for. The only wrinkle is the edges: because the Sun’s entry into Leo shifts slightly year to year, births right around July 22–23 and August 22–23 land on a cusp and need an exact chart to settle.
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Here’s the Leo sign at a glance:
| Sign | Leo, the Lion (♌) |
| Dates | ~July 23 – August 22 |
| Element | Fire |
| Ruler | The Sun |
| Modality | Fixed |
| Order | 5th sign of the zodiac |
Leo sits right in the heat of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, which suits the sign of the Sun perfectly. For the calendar view, see What Month Is Leo? and for the season itself, Leo Season.
⚖ The Cusp Days: July 22–23 and August 22–23
If you were born on the very edge of Leo, this part matters. Around July 22–23, the Sun crosses from Cancer into Leo — so a July 22 birthday can be either the emotional Crab or the bold Lion depending on the exact year and your time zone. Around August 22–23, the Sun moves from Leo into Virgo, putting those births on the Leo–Virgo cusp. There’s no such thing as being “both signs” — the Sun is in exactly one at your moment of birth — but only an exact calculation reveals which. That’s the whole reason cusp babies should run their chart rather than guess from the calendar.
Want the Complete Leo Guide?
For the full profile — traits, love, career, compatibility, the shadow side and more — read our in-depth Leo pillar guide.
✨ Why Leo Dates Shift Each Year
People are often surprised the dates aren’t fixed. The reason is simple astronomy: a calendar year (365 days) doesn’t perfectly match the time Earth takes to orbit the Sun (about 365.25 days). We patch the gap with leap years, but it means the Sun enters Leo at a slightly different clock moment annually — sometimes late on July 22, sometimes on July 23. Over the years the cusp drifts by a day in either direction. So “July 23 to August 22” is the reliable rule of thumb, and your exact birth chart is the tiebreaker. Once you know you’re a Leo, the fun part is the personality — start with What Is a Leo? and who Leo is most compatible with.
☉ Go Beyond Your Sun Sign
For the complete, personalized reading of your entire chart — every planet, house, and aspect interpreted in depth — explore the premium birth chart report.
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Keep exploring the sign — here are the most useful next reads in the Leo series:
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