What Is the Rarest Zodiac Sign?

Sure, you might be the only person with your Sun sign in your family or friend group—but how do you stack up against the rest of the population? We’ve crunched all the numbers, so you can confidently know what the rarest zodiac sign is, and, most importantly, how your unique star sign fits into the mix.

Things You Should Know

Aquarius is the rarest zodiac sign, while Aries lands in the #2 spot.
Virgo is the most common zodiac sign, followed by Cancer and Libra.
Capricorn is the rarest zodiac sign if you factor in Ophiuchus, the “13th sign” of the zodiac.

Section 1 of 6:

What is the rarest zodiac sign?

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According to a recent study published by the CDC, fewer and fewer people have given birth throughout January or February.^{[1]
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services

Go to source} Other government-backed data supports this—between 2000 and 2014, birthdays between January 20 and February 18 (the date range for Aquarius) were very uncommon when compared to other zodiac signs.^{[2]
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Section 2 of 6:

All About Aquarius

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Aquarius is an intelligent, curious, and strong-willed free spirit. This sign loves to forge their own path—if you make them choose between options A and B, they’ll end up picking option C instead. Individualistic and independent to a fault, Aquarius isn’t afraid to stand by their thoughts and opinions, even if they aren’t necessarily popular or trendy. Here are a few more great qualities Aquarius has to offer:^{[3]
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- Cleverness: Aquarius is excellent at thinking both on their feet and outside of the box.
- Innovative: Aquarius isn’t afraid to reinvent the wheel and explore new horizons.
- Self-reliant: Aquarius appreciates their space and doesn’t like to feel “caged” in any aspect of their life, whether it’s in their career or relationships.
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Aquarius is most compatible with Gemini and Libra. In astrology, a sign’s element plays a big part in who they’re most compatible with. As an air sign, it’s no surprise that Aquarius gets along swimmingly with Gemini and Libra, the other 2 air signs of the zodiac. With Gemini’s natural wit and intelligence and Libra’s active spirit, Aquarius has no shortage of things in common with either sign.^{[4]
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- Good compatibility with: Aquarius, Sagittarius, Aries
- Moderately compatible with: Leo
- Least compatible with: Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces

Section 3 of 6:

What is the second rarest zodiac sign?

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Aries is the second rarest zodiac sign. Aries rules the astrological roost between March 21 and April 19, which aren’t super common birthdays. Fiery, headstrong, and determined, this fire sign represents its patron element and patron animal (the ram) well. As the cardinal sign that starts the spring season, Aries isn’t afraid to call the shots, come up with a great idea, or inspire others into action.^{[5]
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- Best compatibility with: Leo, Sagittarius
- Good compatibility with: Aries, Gemini, Aquarius
- Moderately compatible with: Libra
- Least compatible with: Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces^{[6]
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Section 4 of 6:

What is the most common zodiac sign?

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Virgo is the most common zodiac sign. Virgo era starts on August 23 and ends on September 22. Seeing as July through October is the most popular window for babies to be born in America, it’s no surprise that Virgo is the most common birth sign out there. Plus, subtracting 9 months from late August or early September brings you right into the holiday season… we’ll let you connect the dots from there.^{[7]
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- Best compatibility with: Capricorn, Taurus
- Good compatibility with: Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio
- Moderately compatible with: Pisces
- Least compatible with: Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, Aquarius^{[8]
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Section 5 of 6:

Zodiac Signs Ranked by Rarity

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See where your sign stacks up overall. Statistical analysis group FiveThirtyEight used stats from both the CDC and Social Security Administration to calculate which individual birthdates were the most popular (stretching over a 20-year period from 1994 to 2014).^{[9]
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Research source} More recently, the CDC has released a report about which birth months have become more and less popular in recent years.^{[10]
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Trustworthy Source

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services

Go to source} Based on both of these sources, here’s a statistically-backed ranking of the rarest zodiac signs (going from rarest to least rare):
- 1st (rarest): Aquarius
- 2nd: Aries
- 3rd: Capricorn
- 4th: Pisces
- 5th: Taurus
- 6th: Gemini
- 7th: Leo
- 8th: Sagittarius
- 9th: Scorpio
- 10th: Libra
- 11th: Cancer
- 12th (least rare): Virgo

Section 6 of 6:

Rarest Sign with Ophiuchus

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Capricorn is the rarest sign if you follow the Ophiuchus astrological model. In Western astrology, each astrological constellation is assigned to a 30-degree section of a circle that represents the Sun’s path. While the Ophiuchus constellation doesn’t get its own piece of the pie, it does pop up on the Sun’s path. If you were to factor it into the normal 12-sign cycle of astrology, it would shift each date range by about a month.^{[11]
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Research source} So, Capricorn would roughly slide into Aquarius’s spot, making it the rarest zodiac sign overall.^{[12]
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- 1st (rarest): Capricorn (January 20 - February 16)
- 2nd: Pisces (March 11 - April 18)
- 3rd: Sagittarius (December 17 - January 20)
- 4th: Aquarius (February 16 - March 11)
- 5th: Aries (April 18 - May 13)
- 6th: Taurus (May 13 - June 21)
- 7th: Cancer (July 20 - August 10)
- 8th: Ophiuchus (November 29 - December 17)
- 9th: Libra (October 30 - November 23)
- 10th: Scorpio (November 23 - November 29)
- 11th: Virgo (September 16 - October 30)
- 12th: Gemini (June 21 - July 20)
- 13th (least rare): Leo (August 10 - September 16)

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What is a Pisces like?

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Pisces are often shy but very romantic. Pisces are born from February 19 to March 20. They are very emotional (whether the emotion is happy or sad). Oftentimes they are very tough (they love hugs).

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If I followed Ophiuchus and I'm a Taurus, could I be an Aries?

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No, not really. Your zodiac sign relies on your birthday, not someone you've followed, and you can't change your date of birth.

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What are Virgo and Taurus like?

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Taurus tends to be stubborn. Taurus can fight and is quick to anger, so if you say they are wrong, you have a challenge ahead of you. Virgo tends to be thoughtful most of the time and is the one that is willing to guide you. Virgo is usually quite nice. Just remember that these are not hard-and-fast rules, merely tendencies (because there are many other astrological indicators in a person's life, not just the sun sign).

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