Born in 1951: the Rabbit

Metal Rabbit is the full name of the 1951 sign. Its traditional two-part year name is 辛卯 (xīnmǎo), which puts it at number 28 of 60, and 1951 is a yin year, the cycle's quieter, more reflective half. Expect the Rabbit's usual traits (gentle, tactful, observant) with a determined, disciplined and self-reliant edge from the Metal element.

The 1951 lunar year ran from February 6, 1951 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1952 (January 27, 1952). If you were born on or after February 6, 1951 you are a Rabbit; if you were born earlier in 1951, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Tiger. Someone born in 1951 turns 75 in 2026 (or 74 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1951's Chinese New Year fell on a Tuesday, and that lunar year ran 355 days — an ordinary 12-month lunar year.

What the Metal element adds

Metal is the element of autumn, structure and resolve. A Metal year sharpens focus and independence: a Metal animal knows what it wants and pursues it directly, sometimes at the cost of flexibility.

The full 60-year cycle pairs each of the 12 animals with each of the 5 elements, so a Metal Rabbit year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1951 was 1891, and the next is 2011. People born in it are said to combine gentle and tactful with the element's determined nature. Every Rabbit year is yin (the quieter, inward type). See the Metal element and the full Metal Rabbit profile.

1951 at a glance

Animal	🐇 Rabbit (兔)
Element	Metal
Yin or yang	yin
Traditional year name	辛卯 (xīnmǎo)
Place in the 60-year cycle	28 of 60
Zodiac year runs	February 6, 1951 to January 26, 1952
Age in 2026	74–75
Traditional best match	Dog
Traditional hardest match	Rooster
Lucky numbers	3, 4, 6
Lucky colors	pink, red, purple, blue

Rabbit compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 1951 Rabbit gets on best with the Dog (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Goat and Pig. The hardest pairing is the Rooster, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Rabbit compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 1951 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1951 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to February 5, 1951	Tiger (the 1950 year)
February 6, 1951 to December 31, 1951	Rabbit
January 1, 1952 to January 26, 1952	Rabbit (still the 1951 year)
January 27, 1952 onward	Dragon (the 1952 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1951 Rabbit

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1951 is 2035, around age 84, then 2047, around age 96. Tradition calls this your běnmìngnián. Despite being "your" year, it is thought to clash with Tài Suì (the God of Age) and to carry a higher chance of setbacks, so many people wear red through it for protection.

The element pair: 1951 and 1950

Metal years come in pairs. 1951 is the yin year and 1950 is the yang year, the Tiger. So a 1951 Rabbit and a 1950 Tiger share an element and sit one year apart in the cycle. The traditional chart rates the Rabbit and Tiger pairing as moderate: it has no special bond or conflict, so how well it goes depends on the two people more than on the calendar. See the Rabbit and Tiger pairing.

Other Rabbit years

1939 1963 1975 1987 1999 2011 2023 2035

Full Rabbit personality profile →   Rabbit compatibility with every sign →

Know your exact birth date? Use the calculator for your full combination →

What a Metal year changes for the Rabbit

Talking. What marks a 1951 Rabbit in conversation is the Metal element: it gets more guarded about it, saying less than it's actually thinking.

Work. Expect a 1951 Rabbit to work with a sharper, less negotiable edge than most, because Metal sharpens and hardens the sign's usual approach. The element affects execution more than the field.

Love. In 1951's Metal version, the Rabbit shows affection through direct, no-nonsense gestures, since metal is the element of autumn, structure and resolve.

For the sign as a whole (how the Rabbit communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Rabbit profile. This page covers what is different about 1951.

Known Rabbits

The Rabbit's gentle streak is often illustrated with names like Angelina Jolie, David Beckham, Michael Jordan, Brad Pitt — none of whom was born in the 1951 lunar year. They illustrate the animal's general reputation, not this exact element combination.