1940 Chinese zodiac, age & generation
People born in 1940 are 85 or 86 years old this year and turn 86 on their birthday in 2026.Babies born in 1940 will belong to The Silent Generation. 1940 is the Year of the Metal Dragon 🐉 and belongs to The Silent Generation.
- Age this year
- Turns 86
- Chinese zodiac
- 🐉 Metal Dragon
- Generation
- 📻 Silent Generation
- Leap year
- Yes (366 days)
- Jan 1, 1940
- Monday
- Chinese New Year
- February 8
How old is someone born in 1940?
Your exact age depends on whether you have had your birthday yet this year. Right now, someone born in 1940 is 85 or 86 years old. Use the age calculator for an exact answer in years, months and days.
Milestone birthdays for people born in 1940
- 10 in 1950
- 18 in 1958
- 21 in 1961
- 30 in 1970
- 40 in 1980
- 50 in 1990
- 60 in 2000
- 70 in 2010
- 80 in 2020
- 90 in 2030
- 100 in 2040
1940 Chinese zodiac: Year of the Dragon 🐉
1940 is a Metal Dragon year (Yang). The 1940 Chinese zodiac year began on February 8, 1940 and ended on January 26, 1941. People born in January or early February 1940, before Chinese New Year on February 8, belong to the previous zodiac year: the Year of the Rabbit.
The Dragon is the only mythical creature in the Chinese zodiac and is considered especially auspicious. Dragon years often see a rise in births, as many parents hope for a strong, successful Dragon child.
People with the Metal element are traditionally described as determined, principled and strong-willed.
What generation is 1940?
People born in 1940 are part of The Silent Generation, which covers birth years 1928–1945.
The Silent Generation was born between the Great Depression and the end of World War II. A 1951 Time magazine essay gave the generation its name, describing young people who worked hard and kept their heads down.
Famous people born in 1940
- October 9, 1940British musician (1940–1980)
- October 23, 1940Brazilian footballer (1940–2022)
- November 27, 1940Hong Kong–American martial artist and actor (1940–1973)
- April 25, 1940American actor (born 1940)
- April 1, 1940Kenyan environmentalist and politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 (1940–2011)
- May 24, 1940Russian-American poet (1940-1996)
- June 28, 1940Bangladeshi banker, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and the former Chief Adviser of Bangladesh
- February 9, 1940South African and Australian writer and scholar (born 1940)
- July 7, 1940British musician, drummer for the Beatles (born 1940)
- July 6, 1940President of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2019
- April 16, 1940Queen of Denmark from 1972 to 2024 (born 1940)
- March 10, 1940American martial artist and action actor (1940–2026)
- December 21, 1940American musician (1940–1993)
- March 26, 1940American politician (born 1940)
- January 4, 1940Chinese novelist and playwright (1940- )
- April 13, 1940French writer and Nobel Prize winner (born 1940)
- January 24, 1940German Protestant pastor and politician, Federal President of Germnay 2012–2017 (born 1940)
- September 1, 1940French writer (born 1940)
- November 18, 1940Sultan of Oman from 1970 to 2020 (1940–2020)
- February 19, 1940President of Turkmenistan from 1990 to 2006
- September 20, 1940Prime Minister of Japan from 2008 to 2009
- September 23, 194024th Vice-President of Brazil from 2011 to 2016 and 37th President of Brazil from 2016 to 2019
- November 22, 1940American born-British filmmaker, comedian, and actor (born 1940)
- January 28, 1940Mexican business magnate and investor
- July 13, 1940British actor (born 1940)
- September 7, 19404th President of the Republic of Indonesia (1940–2009)
- January 4, 1940Welsh physicist
- June 2, 1940King of Greece from 1964 to 1973 (1940–2023)
- March 26, 1940American actor (1940–2022)
- June 22, 1940Iranian film director, screenwriter, photographer and film producer (1940-2016)
- August 3, 1940American actor (born 1940)
- February 23, 1940American actor and filmmaker (1940–2019)
- September 3, 1940Uruguayan writer and journalist (1940–2015)
- February 29, 1940Ecumenist ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople since 1991
- September 5, 1940American actress (1940–2023)
- January 17, 1940President of Uruguay from 2005 to 2010 and from 2015 to 2020
- June 1, 1940American physicist (born 1940)
- September 11, 1940American film director and screenwriter
- February 7, 1940Japanese theoretical physicist (1940–2021)
- October 19, 1940Irish and English actor (1940–2023)
- January 22, 1940British actor (1940–2017)
- December 23, 194012th president of Pakistan from 2013 to 2018
- June 7, 1940Welsh singer (born 1940)
- December 24, 19405th Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1984 to 2022
- July 18, 1940President of Malawi
- February 28, 1940Italian-American racing driver (born 1940)
- April 12, 1940American jazz pianist and composer (born 1940)
- September 20, 1940Afghanistan politician, former President of Afghanistan (1992-2001)
- February 4, 1940Canadian-American filmmaker (1940–2017)
- June 17, 1940American economist and Koshland Professor of Economics
- August 23, 1940American biochemist (1940–2018)
- June 8, 1940American singer and actress (born 1940)
- October 14, 1940British singer (born 1940)
- February 24, 1940Scottish footballer (1940–2025)
- June 23, 1940American athlete (1940–1994)
- October 5, 1940Serbian actress (1940-2018)
- November 20, 1940Chemist, biochemist and biophysicist
- September 22, 1940Danish-French actress (1940–2019)
- September 28, 19401940-2015, Moroccan sociologist, writer and feminist
- February 7, 19407th President of Singapore
Other birth years
Frequently asked questions
How old is someone born in 1940?
Someone born in 1940 turns 86 in 2026, 90 in 2030, 100 in 2040. Before their birthday each year, they are one year younger.
What Chinese zodiac is 1940?
1940 is the Year of the Dragon, with the Metal element (Metal Dragon). The 1940 zodiac year runs from February 8, 1940 to January 26, 1941. People born in 1940 before February 8 belong to the previous year, the Year of the Rabbit.
What generation is 1940?
People born in 1940 belong to The Silent Generation (Silent Generation), which includes birth years 1928 to 1945. Some sources use slightly different cut-off years.
Is 1940 a leap year?
Yes. 1940 is a leap year with 366 days, including February 29.