People born around the same time in history are bound to have a few things in common, like their relationship with technology, politics, parenting styles, major news events, and economics. For most of the 20th century, we've categorized these groups into generations. Names like Generation X and Generation Z are likely familiar to most of us—but do you know about the Silent Generation or the Lost Generation? There's a lot to learn about how each generation got its nicknames and stereotypes and when each generation starts and ends. If you need clarity, read on. Here, you'll find a breakdown of how these classifications started and who belongs where.
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Jump Ahead to Generations
- Gen Alpha: Born After 2010
- Gen Z: Born 1997–2010
- Millennial Generation: Born 1981–1996
- Xennial Generation: Born 1977 to 1983
- Gen X: Born 1965–1980
- Generation Jones: Born 1955 to 1964
- Baby Boomer Generation: Born 1946 to 1964
- The Silent Generation: Born 1928 to 1945
- The Greatest Generation: Born 1901–1927
- The Lost Generation: Born 1883-1910
Who Comes Up With Generation Names?
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A generation is a group often referred to collectively due to the birth years of its members. Most generation classifications are around 15 to 20 years long, though some are longer or shorter due to certain significant events. (For example, every classification system identifies the start of a new generation in 1946, after the end of World War II). While many of us are familiar with buzzier titles like Millennial or Baby Boomer, different organizations have different names for each generation.
Center for Generational Kinetics
The Center for Generational Kinetics studies generations that are still active in the American workforce. Instead of birth windows, the organization relies on parenting, technology, and economic trends to categorize each generation. Here's its breakdown:
- 1996–Present: Gen Z, iGen, or Centennials
- 1977 to 1995: Millennials or Gen Y
- 1965 to 1976: Generation X
- 1946 to 1964: Baby Boomers
- 1945 and Earlier: Traditionalists or the Silent Generation
Howe and Strauss
Generational theorists Neil Howe and William Strauss wrote the book Generations: The History of America's Future, which was first published back in 1991. The seminal text offers a breakdown of generational cohorts within the United States. They define each group as follows:
- 2000–Present: New Silent Generation or Generation Z
- 1980 to 2000: Millennials or Generation Y
- 1965 to 1979: Thirteeners or Generation X
- 1946 to 1964: Baby Boomers
- 1925 to 1945: The Silent Generation
- 1900 to 1924: The G.I. Generation
Population Reference Bureau
The Population Reference Bureau, a non-profit research organization, has offered up its own list of dates and generation names. They break it up like so:
- 1997 to 2012: Generation Z
- 1981 to 1996: Millennials
- 1965 to 1980: Generation X
- 1946 to 1964: Baby Boomers
- 1928 to 1945: The Silent Generation
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A Brief History of Generational Names
1. Generation Alpha: Born After 2010
Generation Alpha is the first to grow up in a wholly digital world. (Gen Z was close, but most members likely caught a few phone-free moments in their youth.) Mark McCrindle, founder of the Australian consultancy firm McCrindle Research, introduced the term: "It conforms to the scientific nomenclature of using the Greek alphabet instead of the Latin alphabet, and there was no point in going back to A; after all, they are the first generation born fully into the 21st century, and therefore they are the start of something new, not a return to the old." Members of Generation Alpha include North West, Prince George, and Blue Ivy Carter.
2. Generation Z (iGen): Born 1997–2010
Generation Z received its nickname as part of the alphabetical naming trend that started with Generation X (more on that later) two generations ago. However, Jean Twenge, Ph.D., helped coin another popular moniker in her book, iGen, which explores the rise of the first generation to grow up with smartphones. Many members of Gen Z came of age at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, which greatly altered their young adult lives. A few notable names from this generation are Millie Bobby Brown, Greta Thunburg, and Billie Eilish.
3. Millennial Generation (Generation Y): Born 1981–1996
The Millennial Generation got its nickname because its oldest members became adults at the turn of the millennium. While it's difficult to pinpoint exactly who came up with the title, here's what we do know: During the early '90s, media outlets often used the term "Generation Y" to describe those born immediately after Generation X. Howard and Strauss use the term "Millennial" in their 1991 book to describe the cohort, while Advertising Age is credited with using the term in a 1993 editorial.
It wasn't until 2015 that the Millennial generation officially outnumbered the Baby Boomers, and in 2020, they became the country's most dominant generation in terms of numbers. Millennials are also known for bringing about a "baby bust," or a sharp decrease in the birth rate. A few famous representatives of this age cohort are Mark Zuckerberg, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift.
4. Xennial Generation: Born 1977 to 1983
The Xennials are the first microgeneration on our list. Writer Sarah Stankorb first introduced this termin an article titled "Reasonable People Disagree about the Post-Gen X, Pre-Millennial Generation." She notes that the generation of people born between 1977 and 1983 "serves as a bridge between the disaffection of Gen X and the blithe optimism of Millennials." Xennials in pop culture include James Franco, Kim Kardashian, and Macaulay Culkin.
5. Generation X: Born 1965–1980
Howe and Strauss originally suggested the name "Thirteeners" to describe this generation, but it didn't stick. (It came about because they were the 13th generation born since the American Revolution). Instead, Canadian author Douglas Coupland was the one to give Gen Xers their most popular title. In 1991, his novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, a story about a group of 20-somethings looking for better meaning in life, was published. Famous members of this generation include Elon Musk, Eminem, and Kurt Cobain.
6. Generation Jones: Born 1955 to 1964
Generation Jones is also considered a "microgeneration," or a group of individuals born at the end of one generation and the beginning of another. The term Generation Jones was coined by television producer Jonathan Pontell, who later published a book with the same name. According to Pontell, the title aptly describes the competition these individuals felt with the Baby Boomers and the sense that they needed to continue "keeping up with the Joneses." It also lends itself to the perceived increase in drug use during that time and the associated slang. Some public figures that fall into this age group are Madonna, Bill Gates, and Barack Obama.
7. The Baby Boomer Generation: Born 1946 to 1964
The Baby Boomer Generation consists of individuals born during the U.S. baby boom that followed World War II. The term first appeared in a 1941 issue of LIFE Magazine in an article detailing the dramatic spike in births following the Great Depression and the Peacetime Draft of 1940 and claiming that “the U.S. baby boom is bad news for Hitler.”
According to data collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 76 million births occurred between 1946 and 1964, including those of Bill Clinton, Billy Joel, and Steven Spielberg.
8. The Silent Generation: Born 1928 to 1945
Time first introduced the term "Silent Generation" in a 1951 article that read, "By comparison with the Flaming Youth of their fathers and mothers, today's younger generation is a still, small flame. It does not issue manifestoes, make speeches, or carry posters." Born into great uncertainty, individuals from this group were often written off as unimaginative and withdrawn. Famous individuals born in this decade include Robert DeNiro, Julie Andrews, and Anthony Fauci.
9. The Greatest Generation (GI Generation): Born 1901–1927
This generation would not receive its designation until 1991, when Howe and Strauss first hit the scene. In Generations, they refer to the generation tasked with fighting World War II as the G.I. Generation—G.I. standing for "government issue."
Less than a decade later, however, journalist Tom Brokaw'sThe Greatest Generation, a book about those who survived the Great Depression and World War II, hit shelves. His term began to supersede Howe and Strauss' in popular culture, though the "G.I. Generation" is still recognized as an appropriate title.
Famous members of this generation include John F. Kennedy and Rosa Parks.
10. The Lost Generation: Born 1883-1910
The idea of naming each generation didn't take hold until the 20th century when author Gertrude Stein began referring to people who came of age during the First World War as "The Lost Generation." Her intention was to capture the disillusionment present in post-World War I society. According to friend and fellow author Ernest Hemingway, Stein picked up the phrase in conversation with a French farmer, who dismissed the younger generation as a “génération perdue.” Hemingway later used the same epigraph in his first major novel, The Sun Also Rises. Other famous names from this generation include James Joyce, C.S. Lewis, and Ezra Pound.
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Generational Naming Outside of the United States
The names listed above are specific to the U.S., but plenty of generational titles are used around the world.
For instance, in South Africa, individuals born in 1994 or after the end of Apartheid are commonly referred to as the Born Free Generation. There's also the Revolution Generation in Romania—those born in 1989 and after the collapse of communism.
In Norway, people born around 2000 are actually called "Generation Achievements," which makes sense coming from a place once dubbed the happiest country in the world.
