Understanding Generation X Baby Boomers (circa 1946 to 1964) Generation X (circa 1965 to 1980) Millennial Generation (circa 1981 to 1996) Gen Z (post-Millennial) (circa 1997 to 2012)
Baby Boomers: Baby boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. They're currently between 57-75 years old (71.6 million in the U.S.) Gen X: Gen X was born between 1965 and 1979/80 and is currently between 41-56 years old (65.2 million people in the U.S.) Gen Y: Gen Y, or Millennials, were born between 1981 and 1994/6.
Baby Boomers: Born 1946-1964 (59-77 years old) Gen X: Born 1965-1980 (43-58 years old) Millennials: Born 1981-1996 (27-42 years old) Gen Z: Born 1997-2012 (11-26 years old)
GENERATION Y OR THE MILLENNIALS: DIGITAL NATIVES
Also known as digital natives, millennials are those born between 1982 and 1994 and technology is part of their everyday lives: all their activities are mediated by a screen.
Generation C isn't about an age bracket, it's about a mindset. You can be 12 years old, or 105, and still be part of this group. It is not defined by age, wealth, geography, nor ethnicity.
Different names are used for this birth cohort around the world. For example, in North America the most common generational name is Millennials. However, in other parts of the world, Gen Y is more popular. The key is that it's the same generation, just a different name.
A Millennial is anyone born between 1980 and 1995. In the U.S., there are roughly 80 million Millennials. A member of Gen Z is anyone born between 1996 and the early-mid 2000s (end date can vary depending on source). In the U.S., there are approximately 90 million members of Gen Z, or “Gen Zers.”
An mtDNA or mitochondrial DNA test will show generations that are both recent and distant. However, your individual results may vary. For example, if you match someone on HVR1, then your chances are about 50% of finding that you share a mutual maternal ancestor dating back over 52 generations, or around 1,300 years.
The Birth Years of the Silent Generation
People born during this time are also some- times called “Radio Babies” or “Traditionalists.” The oldest members of this generation were born at or near the beginning of the Great Depression. They were children during World War II and came of age during the 1950s and 60s.
Unlike the previous generation who had fought for "changing the system," the Silent Generation were about "working within the system." They did this by keeping their heads down and working hard, thus earning themselves the "silent" label. Their attitudes leaned toward not being risk-takers and playing it safe.
In other words, our ancestors increase exponentially the further back we look. About 20 generations (about 400 years), ago we each have about a million ancestors - and after that the numbers start to get even sillier. Forty generations ago (800 years) gives us one trillion ancestors, and fifty gives one quadrillion.
Encyclopædia Britannica defines millennials as "the term used to describe a person born between 1981 and 1996, though different sources can vary by a year or two."
Millennials are a demographic cohort or age group, also known as Generation Y. They're called millennials because they became adults around the time of the millennium.
Generation Z (also known as the iGeneration, Zoomers, or Centennials) refers to those with birth years between 1995 and 2010. Generation Alpha encompasses those born between 2010 and 2025. Gen Z is the first digital native generation, while Gen Alpha is the first generation to grow up in an entirely digital world.
Generation Z, sometimes known as “zoomers,” is the demographic cohort that comes after millennials and proceeds Generation Alpha. Members of the Gen Z years were born between 1997 and 2012.
Named after alpha, the first letter in the Greek alphabet, Generation Alpha is the first to be born entirely in the 21st century and the third millennium. Members of Generation Alpha are mostly children of Millennials, and older Generation Z.
That is why the generations today each span 15 years with Generation Y (Millennials) born from 1980 to 1994; Generation Z from 1995 to 2009 and Generation Alpha from 2010 to 2024. And so it follows that Generation Beta will be born from 2025 to 2039.
The Greatest Generation commonly refers to those Americans who were born in the 1900s through the 1920s. The Greatest Generation members all lived through the Great Depression and many of them fought in World War II. These individuals have often been described as driven, patriotic, and team-players.
Millennials are aging better than the previous generations thanks to the support of their parents and other family members. Throw in a healthier lifestyle and a focus on skincare, and millennials have cracked the code to keeping a youthful look for much longer in life.
Initially, the group born after Generation X was coined Gen Y because it was the next letter progression in the current naming schema. In the late 1990s, authors William Strauss and Neil Howe coined the term “Millennials” to describe the generation coming of age at the beginning of the 21st century.
Millennials or Gen Y: Born approximately 1977 – 1995. Generation X: Born approximately 1965 – 1976. Baby Boomers: Born approximately 1946 – 1964. Traditionalists or Silent Generation: Born approximately 1945 and before.