Full Moon Names by Month: Wolf Moon to Cold Moon
Every full moon of the year has a traditional name. Most of the names used today in North America and Europe were popularised by almanacs and draw on Native American, Colonial American and European folk traditions. They describe what was happening in nature at that time of year.
| Month | Name | The story behind it |
|---|---|---|
| January | Wolf Moon | Linked to wolves howling in the deep of winter. |
| February | Snow Moon | Often the month of the heaviest snowfall. |
| March | Worm Moon | The ground thaws and earthworms return. |
| April | Pink Moon | Named after early spring wildflowers, not the colour of the moon. |
| May | Flower Moon | Flowers bloom across the northern hemisphere. |
| June | Strawberry Moon | The season for picking wild strawberries. |
| July | Buck Moon | Male deer grow new antlers. |
| August | Sturgeon Moon | Sturgeon fish were plentiful in the Great Lakes. |
| September | Corn or Harvest Moon | Crops are gathered; the Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the autumn equinox. |
| October | Hunter’s Moon | Hunting and preparing food stores for winter. |
| November | Beaver Moon | Beavers build their winter dams; traps were set. |
| December | Cold Moon | The long, cold nights of early winter. |
Names in other cultures
Many cultures have their own lunar calendars and names. The Islamic and Hebrew calendars are lunar or lunisolar, and festivals such as Ramadan, Diwali and the Mid-Autumn Festival are timed by the moon. In the Southern Hemisphere, where seasons are reversed, the northern names often do not match local nature, so some people use names based on their own seasons.
Special full moons
Some full moons get extra titles, such as a Supermoon, Blue Moon or Blood Moon. Read what those terms mean.
See exactly when this month’s full moon rises on our moon calendar.