Every month’s full moon has a traditional name — and the full moon names are a lovely little calendar of the natural year, from the Wolf Moon of deep winter to the Cold Moon of December. Most trace back to Native American and European traditions that tracked the seasons by whatever was happening in nature each month.
Here is the full month-by-month list, plus where the names come from.
The 12 full moon names, month by month
- January — Wolf Moon: for wolves howling in deep winter. See wolf moon meaning.
- February — Snow Moon: for the heavy snows of late winter (also Hunger Moon).
- March — Worm Moon: for earthworms appearing as the ground thaws (also Crow, Sap Moon).
- April — Pink Moon: for early spring wildflowers, not the Moon’s color (also Egg, Sprouting Grass Moon).
- May — Flower Moon: for spring’s abundant blooms (also Milk, Corn Planting Moon).
- June — Strawberry Moon: for the strawberry harvest. See strawberry moon meaning.
- July — Buck Moon: for buck deer growing new antlers (also Thunder, Hay Moon).
- August — Sturgeon Moon: for sturgeon caught in the Great Lakes (also Green Corn Moon).
- September — Corn Moon / Harvest Moon: for the harvest. See harvest moon meaning.
- October — Hunter’s Moon: for hunting and stocking up before winter.
- November — Beaver Moon: for beavers preparing their winter dams (also Frost Moon).
- December — Cold Moon: for the arrival of deep winter (also Long Night Moon).
Where the full moon names come from
Most of these names trace back to Native American peoples — especially Algonquian-speaking tribes of the northeastern United States — who named each month’s full moon for the season’s natural events. European settlers adopted the custom and added some of their own, and almanacs have published the names since the 1930s. Because the names are based on nature, they vary by region and culture, so many months have several traditional names. You can explore the fuller lists on The Old Farmer’s Almanac full moon names guide and timeanddate.com’s full moon names page.
What about the harvest moon and blue moon?
Two names break the tidy one-per-month pattern. The Harvest Moon is not fixed to a month — it is whichever full moon falls closest to the autumn equinox. And a Blue Moon is an “extra” full moon that occasionally appears, giving us the phrase “once in a blue moon.”
Are these names official?
Not in a scientific sense — they are cultural and traditional, not astronomical designations. Astronomers just call them full moons; the names are folklore we have kept because they are charming and useful for marking the year. Enjoy them as heritage, not fact.
Why the full moon names still matter today
You might wonder why these old seasonal names have survived into an age of digital calendars. Part of it is simple charm — “Strawberry Moon” is far more evocative than “June full moon.” But there is also something genuinely useful about them: they connect each month to what is actually happening in the natural world, from thawing worms in March to preparing beavers in November. In a way, the full moon names are a folk almanac written in the sky, a reminder of how closely people once lived with the seasons. Enjoying them today is a small, free way to feel connected to that rhythm, even if you never look up a single date.
What phase were you born under?
The full moon is only one of eight phases. To see which shape was in the sky on your birthday, try our guide to the moon phase you were born under, or read up on all 8 moon phases.
Find your own moon phase
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Run two birthdays and enjoy the result, lightly.
