Born in August: zodiac sign and personality

August holds two signs. Those born from 1 to 22 August are Leo, fixed fire ruled by the Sun, and those born from 23 to 31 August are Virgo, mutable earth ruled by Mercury. The month moves from the sign that shines to the sign that serves.

August people carry the confidence of high summer and a sense of the harvest to come. The Leo born are made for warmth, display and leadership; the Virgo born are made for skill, order and usefulness. Both take pride in what they do, and both hold themselves to standards that others rarely see them set.

Born 1 to 22 August: Leo

August Leos fall mainly in the second and third decans of their sign. From around the second to the twelfth of the month, Jupiter colours the decan through Sagittarius: these natives are expansive, frank and fond of travel and big ideas, and their leadership comes through enthusiasm more than command. From around the thirteenth, Mars enters through Aries and the fire turns competitive: these are the Leos who want to win, who say yes to the dare and who cannot sit out a fight on behalf of someone they love.

All of them are generous, proud and loyal. They give their best with an audience and their worst when ignored.

Born 23 to 31 August: Virgo

Those born from 23 August to the end of the month are Virgo of the first decan, where Mercury rules both sign and decan. Nothing escapes their notice: the misplaced comma, the loose thread, the tone of voice that does not match the words. August Virgos are modest, capable and quietly funny, and they show love by doing things properly for the people they care about. Their task is to forgive imperfection, beginning with their own.

The Leo Virgo cusp: 19 to 25 August

Around 23 August the Sun moves from Leo into Virgo, and births in the days around the crossing take something from each sign. This stretch is called the cusp of exposure. People born here carry Leo's need to be seen and Virgo's wish to stay private, and they do their best work when they let their craft speak for them.

August born in love and marriage

Leo loves in grand style: gifts, gestures, declarations and a fierce loyalty. They want a partner they are proud to stand beside and who is proud of them. Aries and Sagittarius share their fire, Gemini and Libra bring lightness, and Aquarius, the opposite sign, teaches them that love leaves room.

Virgo loves through attention and service. They notice what a partner needs and quietly provide it, and they need to be appreciated for it in words. Taurus and Capricorn share their earth, Cancer and Scorpio give them depth, and Pisces, their opposite, softens their judgement. A Virgo marriage is careful, faithful and built on daily kindness.

August born at work and with money

Leo belongs where there is a stage or a team to lead: management, performance, teaching, events, sport, fashion and creative direction. The Sagittarius decan adds a taste for travel and publishing. They spend freely on beauty and celebration, and their income follows their reputation.

Virgo excels where precision matters: editing, accounting, analysis, research, administration, craft, gardening and the care of animals. They budget carefully, buy for quality and use, and build savings without fuss. Their wealth is the slow kind that does not disappear.

August birthstone and colours: peridot

The August birthstone is the peridot, an olive green stone that the Egyptians called the gem of the sun. It was gathered on a small island in the Red Sea and is one of the few gems also found in fallen meteorites. Tradition made it a stone against the fears of the night, set in gold to guard the sleeper. For the August born it holds the summer light that lasts into autumn.

August's colours are peridot green, gold and the pale yellow of ripe wheat. Leo adds gold and orange; Virgo adds navy, olive and warm earth tones.

The spiritual meaning of August

August is named after the emperor Augustus, and it opens with Lammas on 1 August, the loaf mass, when bread from the first wheat was blessed. Its spiritual reading is the harvest: the glory of the Sun gives way to the work of gathering, sorting and storing, and those born in August learn that pride and humility belong to the same field. The Virgin of the zodiac carries a sheaf of wheat in her hand.

In the tarot, Leo answers to Strength, the card of courage that wins by patience, and Virgo to the Hermit, the card of the lamp carried alone. The August soul learns to shine and then to turn its light on the small, necessary things.

What zodiac sign is August?

August has two signs. Those born from 1 to 22 August are Leo, and those born from 23 to 31 August are Virgo.

Is 23 August Leo or Virgo?

Our table gives 23 August to Virgo and 22 August to Leo. The crossing falls at a different hour each year, so those born on the day itself look at the hour of birth.

What is the birthstone for August?

The August birthstone is the peridot, an olive green stone the Egyptians called the gem of the sun, traditionally worn for protection and calm.

What are people born in August like?

August people are proud, capable and hardworking. The Leo born are warm, generous and natural leaders; the Virgo born are observant, modest and precise.

Which signs are compatible with people born in August?

August Leos match best with Aries, Sagittarius, Gemini and Libra. August Virgos match best with Taurus, Capricorn, Cancer and Scorpio.