TL;DR: Generation names come from history and pop culture: the Silent Generation (1928–1945), Baby Boomers (1946–1964), Gen X (1965–1980), Millennials (1981–1996), Gen Z (1997–2012) and Gen Alpha (about 2013–2024/25).
Where the names came from
- Silent Generation – a 1951 Time magazine essay described young people of the time as quiet and conformist.
- Baby Boomers – named after the post-WWII “baby boom”.
- Generation X – popularised by Douglas Coupland’s 1991 novel *Generation X*; “X” suggested an undefined generation.
- Millennials – coined by authors William Strauss and Neil Howe because they came of age around the new millennium; also called Gen Y.
- Generation Z – the next letter after Y. See Gen Z Meaning: What Does Gen Z Stand For?.
- Generation Alpha – popularised by Mark McCrindle, restarting with the Greek alphabet.
- Generation Beta – the next Greek letter, from about 2025.
Full table with ages: All Generations in Order: Gen Z, Millennials, Gen Alpha & More.
