All generation names explained: millennials, gen alpha, and more

Find out what generation you belong to and history behind its name.


There is Generation X , and there is generation Z, which is also sometimes called igen. You may also have heard of the G.I. Generation, with the Alphas and the Jones. But do you know the lost generation or the new silent generation? There is a lot to unpack on how generations get their nicknames, why and where each generation starts and ends. If you feel confused, read the rest. Below, you will find in-depth ventilation of which belongs where and how these generational classifications started.

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Who offers generation names?

Group of friends of different ages taking a photo together
Alessandro Biascioli / Istock

A generation is a group of people born almost at the same time who are often referred collectively. It is believed that those who have received the same generational label share cultural features and live in similar financial conditions. While most of us know buzzier titles such as the baby-boomer or the millennium, different organizations have different names to describe each generation.

Howe and Strauss

Generational theorists Neil Howe And William Strauss wrote the book Generations: the history of the future of America , which was published for the first time in 1991. The founding text offers a rupture of generational cohorts in the United States. They define each group as follows:

  • 2000 - Present: New silent generation or Z generation
  • 1980 to 2000: Millennials or generation Y
  • 1965 to 1979: Thirteen or generation x
  • 1946 to 1964: Baby boomers
  • 1925 to 1945: Silent generation
  • 1900 to 1924: The G.I. Generation

Population reference office

THE Population reference office , a non -profit research organization, also proposed its own list of generation dates and names. They break it like that:

  • 1997 to 2012: Generation z
  • 1981 to 1996: Millennials
  • 1965 to 1980: Generation X
  • 1946 to 1964: Baby boomers
  • 1928 to 1945: Silent generation

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Generational kinetic center

THE Generational kinetic center Study the generations always active on American workforce. Instead of birth windows, the organization is based on parenting, technology and economic trends to classify each generation. Here is their ventilation:

  • 1996 - Present: Gen Z, igen or centennials
  • 1977 to 1995: Millennials or generation Y
  • 1965 to 1976: Generation X
  • 1946 to 1964: Baby boomers
  • 1945 and before: Traditionalists or silent generation

A brief history of generational names

Time scale comparing the differences between generations: Baby boomers, Generation X, Generation Y and Generation Z.
IT: Tanaonte / Istock

1. The lost generation: born in 1883-1910

The idea of appointing each generation did not happen before the 20th century when the author Gertrude Stein started to refer to people who reached age during the First World War as "lost generation". His intention was to capture the disillusionment present in Company I post-war of the world . According to a friend and another author Ernest Hemingway , Stein resumed the sentence in conversation with a French farmer, who rejected the young generation as a "lost generation". Hemingway then used the same epigraph in his first big novel, The sun is also rising . Other famous names of this generation include James Joyce ,, C.S. Lewis , And Ezra Book.

2. The largest generation (Gi generation): born 1901–1927

The next generation would only receive its designation until 1991, when Howe and Strauss were successful. In Generations , they refer to the generation responsible for fighting the Second World War as G.I. Generation - G.I. Debit for the "Government Problem".

Less than a decade later, however, journalist Tom Brokaw The best Generation , a book on those who survived the great depression and the Second World War, struck the shelves. His mandate began to replace Howe and Strauss in popular culture, although the "G.I. generation" Always recognized as an appropriate title.

Some famous members of this generation are John F. Kennedy ,, Rosa Parks , And Elvis Presley .

3. Silent generation: born in 1928 to 1945

Time first introduced the term " Silent generation "In an article from 1951 that can be read", in comparison with the fiery youth of their fathers and mothers, the young generation of today is a small flame still. He does not publish manifests, does not make speeches or carries posters. "Born in a great uncertainty, individuals in this group have often been struck off as without imagination and withdrawn. Famous individuals born during this decade include Robert de Niro ,, Julie Andrews , And Anthony Fauci .

4. Baby-boomers generation: born in 1946 to 1964

Baby-boomers generation is individuals born in the United States Baby boom It followed the Second World War. The term appeared for the first time in a 1941 issue of LIFE Magazine in an article detailing the dramatic peak of births after the great depression and Peace -upda from 1940 and saying that "the American baby boom is bad news for Hitler".

According to data collected at U.S. Census Bureau, 76 million births occurred between 1946 and 1964, including those of Bill Clinton ,, Billy Joel , And Steven Spielberg .

5. Generation Jones: born in 1955 to 1964

Unlike other groups listed, Generation jones is considered a "microgeneration" or a group of individuals born at the end of a generation and the beginning of another. The term was invented by the television producer Jonathan Pontell , which later published a book of the same name. According to Pontell, the title describes the competition well that these individuals felt with the baby boomers and the feeling they needed to continue to "follow the Jones". It also lends itself to the perceived increase in drug use during this period and to the associated slang. Some public figures who fall into this age group are Madonna ,, Bill Gates , And Barack Obama .

6. Generation X: born 1965–1980

Howe and Strauss initially suggested the name "thirteen" to describe this generation, but that was not held. (They had been born from the 13th generation since the American Revolution). Instead, Canadian Author Douglas Coupland was the one who gave Gen Xers their most popular title. In 1991, his novel Generation X: Tales for an accelerated culture ,, A story on a 20 -year group looking for better sense in life has been published. Famous members of this generation include Elon Musk ,, Eminem , And Kurt Cobain .

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7. Generation of Xennial: born in 1977 to 1983

Xennials are the second microgeneration on our list. This term was presented for the first time by the writer Sarah Stankorb In an article entitled " Reasonable people do not agree on X post-generation, pre-millennial generation "She explains that the generation of people born between 1977 and 1983" serves as a bridge between the disaffection of generation X and the optimism of Blithe des millenniaux. "Pop culture xennials include Kourtney Kardashian ,, James Franco , And Macaulay Culkin .

8. Millennium generation (generation Y): born 1981–1996

The millennial generation marks a change in names of name. Although it is difficult to determine exactly who found the title, here is what we know: in the early 90s, the media often used the term "generation Y" to describe people born immediately after generation X. Howard And Strauss include the term "millennium" in their book to describe the cohort, while Advertising age is credited with the use of the term in an editorial of 1993.

It was not until 2015 that the millennium generation officially more numerous than baby boomers , and in 2020, they became the country most dominant generation . Millennials are also known to cause a " Baby bust, "Or a sharp decrease in the birth rate. Some famous representatives of this age cohort are Taylor Swift ,, Mark Zuckerberg , And Beyonce .

9. Generation Z (Igen): born in 1997-2010

Most assume that generation Z has received its nickname in the context of the tendency of alphabetical denomination, although Jean Twege , Ph.D, helped to know another popular nickname in his book, igen , which explores the rise of the first generation to grow with smartphones. Some notable names of this generation are Millie Bobby Brown ,, Greta Thunburg , And Billie Eilish .

10. Alpha generation: born after 2010

Generation Z may have had early access to technology now Ubic, but Generation Alpha is the first to grow in a completely digital world. This term was introduced for the first time by Mark McCrindle, Founder of the Australian consulting firm McCrindle Research, who explains: "He complies with the scientific nomenclature of the use of the Greek alphabet instead of the Latin alphabet and it was useless to return to A, after all, C ' is the first generation of the first generation Born entirely in the 21st century And so they are the beginning of something new, not a return to the old one. "The members of Generation Alpha include Prince George ,, North West , And Blue Ivy Carter.

Generational name outside the United States

Group of people of all ages, races, and genders posing for photo
Skynesher / Istock

The names listed above are specific to the United States, but there are many generational titles used in other parts of the world.

For example, in South Africa, individuals born in 1994 or after the end of apartheid are commonly called the free generation born. There is also the generation of revolution in Romania - that born in 1989 and after the collapse of communism.

In Norway, people born around 2000 are actually called " Generation achievements , "Which has meaning coming from a place once nicknamed the The happiest country in the world .

Wrap

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