This page is the full run-through of all 13 signs in the celtic tree calendar, in calendar order, each with its date range, the ogham letter behind the tree name, its personality strengths and challenges, and a one-line summary. You can read straight through from Birch to Elder, or jump to your own sign. One honest note before you do: this is a modern system, arranged by the poet Robert Graves in the 1940s rather than handed down from the ancient Druids, and you can read the full origin story on our celtic tree astrology guide.
One more thing to flag up front. The date ranges below are the common version, the one almost every site reproduces, but they are not standardized. Sources shift the boundaries by a day or two, and a separate variant using 21 trees across shorter periods also exists, so treat the dates as approximate rather than exact. If you would rather skip the reading and just get your result, you can find your Celtic birth tree by month.
The tree names themselves come from the real ogham alphabet, the early medieval Irish script, which is worth remembering as you read: the names are old, the birthday personalities are not. With that settled, here are the thirteen.
1. Birch (The Achiever): December 24 to January 20
If Birch is your sign, you were born into the first period of the calendar year, and Birch maps to Beith, the very first letter of the ogham alphabet, whose real medieval kenning reads “withered foot with fine hair,” an old poetic tag for the slender tree. That placement suits it, since Birch is the sign of new beginnings and fresh starts.
The traits follow the same theme. Birch types are read as driven and ambitious, the sort who set a goal and move toward it without much fuss. They tend to be resilient and disciplined, able to keep going when a project turns dull, and they are natural starters who lead from the front rather than waiting to be asked.
The flip side is temperament. Birch can come across as cool or humorless when a task has its full attention, and that focus can tip into tunnel vision. In a line: the determined pioneer who turns a fresh start into a finished thing.
2. Rowan (The Thinker): January 21 to February 17
Rowan turns inward, a sign of the mind rather than the hands, and it runs across the deep-winter stretch from late January into February under the ogham letter Luis. Rowan people are read as visionary and idealistic, drawn to how things could be rather than only how they are. They tend to be independent-minded, comfortable holding a view the room does not share, and quietly influential, shaping outcomes through ideas more than volume.
The challenges sit close to the strengths. That same inward focus can read as aloof or detached, and a Rowan can get so absorbed in the idea that the action never quite arrives. If you are a Rowan, you are the one already thinking three steps ahead while everyone else is still on step one.
3. Ash (The Enchanter): February 18 to March 17
Ash runs through late winter into the edge of spring and maps to the ogham letter Nion. It is the most inward of the early signs. Ash types are read as imaginative and intuitive, often artistic, and frequently drawn to water and the sea. They pick up on atmosphere quickly, sensitive to a room’s mood before anyone says a word, and they tend to live partly in an inner world of their own making.
That sensitivity has a cost. Ash can turn moody or withdrawn, and it can be hard to pin down, slipping away just as you think you understand it. In a line: a dreamer and shaper of moods who lives half in imagination and half in the room.
4. Alder (The Trailblazer): March 18 to April 14
Alder arrives with early spring and carries the ogham letter Fearn, whose genuine medieval kenning is “vanguard of warriors.” That old phrase is a neat fit for a sign named the Trailblazer, and it is a reminder that the tree names carry real history under the modern reading. Alder types are read as confident and charismatic, path-finders who are happy to go first, and courageous in a way that pulls others along. They make persuasive natural leaders.
The rough edges are speed-related. Alder can be impatient, blunt, or quick to temper when things drag. Alder charges ahead; the trick for this sign is bringing people with it rather than leaving them behind.
5. Willow (The Observer): April 15 to May 12
Where Alder acts first, Willow watches first. It runs across mid to late spring under the ogham letter Saille, whose bleak real kenning, “pallor of a lifeless one,” sits oddly against the gentle Observer reading laid over it much later. Willow types are read as intuitive and perceptive, patient enough to wait for the right moment, and deeply observant, with a memory that holds on to detail long after others have forgotten it. Not much gets past them.
The same watchfulness can curdle. Willow can hold a grudge, and it can stay guarded and hard to read, keeping its real thoughts back. In a line: the quiet watcher who notices what everyone else misses.
6. Hawthorn (The Illusionist): May 13 to June 9
Hawthorn spans late spring into early summer and carries the ogham letter Uath. Its nickname points to the theme: there is usually more here than first appears. Hawthorn types are read as adaptable and curious, often witty, and full of surprising contradictions, so the version of them you meet at a party may not be the whole story. They are frequently more complex than they let on.
That doubleness can weigh on them. Hawthorn can run anxious, and it can feel pulled between an outward face and an inner one that do not quite match. If Hawthorn is yours, few people guess how much is going on beneath the easy surface.
7. Oak (The Stabilizer): June 10 to July 7
Oak covers the run into high summer and maps to the ogham letter Duir, whose genuine medieval kenning is “highest tree.” That is a real, old meaning, and it is a good place to be clear about the two layers on this page: the personality reading below is a modern invention, but the kenning behind the name is genuinely ancient, and you can explore the real ogham letter meanings if that side interests you more than the horoscope. Oak types are read as confident and protective, optimistic and steady, the dependable anchor other people lean on when things wobble.
The weakness is a strength overplayed. Oak can turn stubborn or domineering, sure it knows best and slow to hear otherwise. In a line: the strong, reassuring presence others come to rest against.
8. Holly (The Ruler): July 8 to August 4
Holly holds the heart of summer and carries the ogham letter Tinne. This is a leadership sign through and through. Holly types are read as capable and ambitious, generous with what they have, and naturally authoritative, able to step into a room and take charge without seeming to strain for it. Responsibility tends to find them.
The caution is about ego. Holly can become status-driven or proud, and it can be reluctant to share the spotlight it feels it has earned. Holly is built to lead; at its best it uses that authority to lift the people around it rather than simply to outrank them.
9. Hazel (The Knower): August 5 to September 1
Hazel runs from August into early September and carries the ogham letter Coll, whose genuine medieval kenning is “fairest tree.” In Irish lore Hazel is long tied to wisdom and knowledge, and that association is not a modern invention; it comes from the authentic ogham tradition, even though the birthday-personality layer laid over it is recent. If you want to see where the real associations end and the astrology begins, it is worth reading what the ogham letters actually meant. Hazel types are read as clever and quick, well organized, knowledgeable, and keen learners who enjoy knowing things for their own sake.
The downside is a sharp mind turned critical. Hazel can be fussy, over-exacting, or too certain it is right. In a line: the sharp, well-informed mind that has usually already done the reading.
10. Vine (The Equalizer): September 2 to September 29
Vine covers most of September and maps to the ogham letter Muin. One honest note belongs here: vine is a climbing plant, not a tree, and it is one of the entries Graves and later popularizers folded into the list rather than a native ogham tree-letter. That does not change the reading people use today, but it is a fair thing to know. Vine types are read as refined and discerning, empathetic, and unusually good at seeing both sides of a question and finding the balance point between them.
The wobble is in the weighing itself. Vine can be indecisive or changeable, swinging between extremes before it settles. If you are a Vine, you feel the pull of both sides of most questions, which is exactly what makes you fair.
11. Ivy (The Survivor): September 30 to October 27
Ivy runs through October and carries the ogham letter Gort. Like vine, ivy is a climbing plant rather than a tree, and it too was folded into the popular list by Graves-era interpreters rather than carried down as a native ogham tree-letter. Read on the same footing as the rest, Ivy types come across as loyal and resilient, quietly determined, and able to keep growing in hard conditions where others would give up. Endurance is the through-line.
The shadow is holding on too long. Ivy can be guarded, and it can cling to people or situations well past their use. In a line: the steady survivor who endures and keeps growing where others quit.
12. Reed (The Inquisitor): October 28 to November 24
Reed covers late autumn and maps to the ogham letter Ngetal. Reed, like vine and ivy, is not a woody tree, so it sits slightly outside the original letters too, but the profile people read is a strong one. Reed types are described as probing and truth-seeking, insightful, drawn to what lies beneath the surface, and strong-willed once they have decided something matters. They are the ones who keep pulling at a thread.
The intensity can turn inward or intrusive. Reed can be secretive, and it can be a little too fond of digging into other people’s business. If Reed is your sign, you are the one who keeps asking until the real story finally comes out.
13. Elder (The Seeker): November 25 to December 23
Elder closes the calendar in the darkest weeks of the year and carries the ogham letter Ruis. It is a restless, outward-facing sign. Elder types are read as free-spirited and honest, energetic and adventurous, seekers who resist being boxed in and would rather keep moving than settle for what is in front of them. There is always a next horizon.
The cost of all that motion is stability. Elder can be restless, impulsive, or reckless, and it can struggle to sit still long enough to finish. And that completes the circle of thirteen, from Birch’s fresh start back around to Elder’s search for whatever comes next.
Celtic tree sign FAQ
What are the 13 Celtic tree signs?
In calendar order they are Birch the achiever, Rowan the thinker, Ash the enchanter, Alder the trailblazer, Willow the observer, Hawthorn the illusionist, Oak the stabilizer, Holly the ruler, Hazel the knower, Vine the equalizer, Ivy the survivor, Reed the inquisitor, and Elder the seeker. Each maps to an ogham letter name and covers roughly a 28-day period.
How do I find my Celtic tree sign?
Match your birth month and day to the date ranges above, which run from Birch (December 24 to January 20) through Elder (November 25 to December 23). Free online calculators do the same lookup automatically. To skip the table and go straight to your result, you can find your Celtic birth tree by month.
Is the Celtic tree calendar ancient?
No. It is a modern system, arranged by the poet Robert Graves in the 1940s, not preserved Druid lore. The tree names it borrows come from the genuinely old ogham alphabet, but the calendar and birthday-personality layer on top is twentieth-century, and the one ancient Celtic calendar we can actually attest, the Gaulish Coligny tablet found in France in 1897, carries no tree names at all. For the full origin story, see our celtic tree astrology guide.
What is the difference between Celtic tree signs and zodiac signs?
They are separate, unrelated systems. Western astrology is solar, with 12 signs tied to the sun’s path through the year. The Celtic tree system is lunar, with 13 periods of roughly 28 days each. Your tree sign and your sun sign are calculated differently and say nothing about each other.
Which Celtic tree sign is the rarest?
None, by design. Because the periods are close to equal length, about 28 days each, no sign is meaningfully rarer than another. The only real variation comes from small differences in how sources draw the date boundaries and from natural birth-rate differences across the year, not from anything built into the system itself. The bigger swing comes from which table you use: switch to the alternate 21-tree variant and some trees repeat across different seasons, so your result can change from one system to the next.