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American Generations

Can you guess the most-commonly used names for these "generations" of people in the United States and other western countries.
Source: Wikipedia
Dates are approximate
Quiz by ACIREMA
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Last updated: November 27, 2021
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First submittedFebruary 14, 2014
Times taken19,253
Average score71.4%
Rating3.95
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Born Between
Generation
1883–1900
Lost Generation
1901–1924
Greatest Generation
1925–1945
Silent Generation
1946–1964
Baby Boomers
1965–1980
Generation X
1980–2000
Millennial
2000–
Generation Z
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96 Comments
Quizmaster
+38
Level ∞
Jan 14, 2017
Gen Y is lazy so we don't accept it.
Jerry928
+3
Level 76
Feb 14, 2017
I tried Generation Y but it didn't accept that either.
Findlay
+18
Level 82
Apr 18, 2018
I feel like "I don't like the term people use for that thing therefore I won't accept it as an answer" is a novel approach...
Quizmaster
+25
Level ∞
Nov 27, 2021
No one uses Gen Y anymore. It was a "placeholder" name that was replaced by Millennial at some point.
MarieDS
+3
Level 60
Oct 10, 2019
I hear millennials more than generation y more lately anyway.
johnsonncn5
+3
Level 62
Dec 23, 2021
Yeah Millennials are lazy...

Go Gen Z!

Gamer1162
+7
Level 60
Jan 14, 2017
What about Generation Z? It's in the source.
Quizzer6794
+2
Level 65
Jan 14, 2017
Yes. 17 years haven't been taken into account.
Quizmaster
+4
Level ∞
Jan 15, 2017
It's too early for them to really be considered a generation. Many haven't even been born yet. And I'm sure the name will coalesce on something other than "Gen Z". That is, unless the zombie apocalypse happens during their coming of age.
iowacub
+3
Level 83
Jan 17, 2017
You are wise Quizmaster
craigsnyder
+14
Level 44
Mar 9, 2017
I disagree, it isn't too early at all. Most researchers place the starting birth year for the generation following the Millenials as early as the late 90s to the early 2000s. So no matter what starting year you choose, 12-20ish years have passed since that generation started, meaning nearly all of the members of that generation have been born. Some researchers have already identified the post-Gen Z cohort. They're calling it Generation Alpha and have identified the birth year as early as 2010.
Xtian77
+6
Level 18
Aug 25, 2018
Most sources and researchers recognize gen z as existing so I'm not sure where your getting your info.
HinesBrothers
+2
Level 75
Oct 19, 2020
Given how the year has gone, the zombie apocalypse likely will happen during the coming of our age
InfiniteBulk
+5
Level 66
Apr 5, 2021
Quizmaster, I'm not quite sure what you mean by many haven't been born yet. Gen Z stopped being born in 2010, and the newest generation is Generation Alpha. Also, your source isn't incredibly accurate. The divide between Millennials and Gen Zers is remembering 9/11, and most say Millennials stopped being born at around 1996. And Gen Z isn't really a generation yet? I think not. Adults from the generation have developed distinct characteristics from the other generations when they were the same age, and many sources suggest they are becoming much like Baby Boomers in work ethic.
31modulo16
+3
Level 63
Oct 20, 2021
Both the use of "Gen Z" and the cultural narratives around this generation have become more prominent in the years since this was posted. Perhaps now would be a good time to update the quiz.
Quizmaster
+6
Level ∞
Nov 27, 2021
5 years later... I can't say for sure that the name "Gen Z" is here to stay, but it is much more common now. Added to the quiz.
FlabberBapper
+2
Level 74
Nov 27, 2021
I just go by the Wikipedia definition of Gen Z which ranges from 1997 to 2012
Emtiff
+1
Level 35
Dec 23, 2021
I don’t know what term(s) researchers or academics are using, but whenever I hear people my age (late 30s) or younger talk about the generation after Millennials the term is always Zoomer.
kapulani3
+1
Level 74
Nov 13, 2022
GenZ is the zombie apocalypse.
evilpenguin
+4
Level 70
Jan 15, 2017
I was born in 1964 so I feel too young to be a Baby Boomer but too old to be Gen X.

I'm Generation On The Fence.

Freestatebear
+1
Level 85
Jan 15, 2017
There are lots of us! Look up "Generation Jones," and see if it's a better fit.
iowacub
+6
Level 83
Jan 17, 2017
The people born on the cusps of two generations often don't fit into the norms of either generation and make their own subgroup of a generation. The people at the end of Gen X and the beginning of Millennials are sometimes called the Oregon Trail Generation....I was born in 1985 and feel I fit in that group a little better than Millennials, but I'm too young to be a Gen Xer.
cornflakesfu
+4
Level 87
Dec 15, 2018
Oregon Trail Generation . . . I like it!
MarieDS
+3
Level 60
Oct 10, 2019
I was born in 1980, same thing. I assume the Oregon Trail Generation name refers to the computer game we played in elementary school. Interesting lol
mf3
+1
Level 87
Dec 11, 2021
By that logic, Gen X could be further refined to the earlier Pong Generation and the later... what game fits in there?
ceb91
+1
Level 59
Dec 23, 2021
Love this term! This would be my parent’s generation. They’re technically Boomers but a lot of typical Boomer traits, memories, and behaviors are sooo not like them!
buck1017
+1
Level 78
Nov 16, 2022
Iowa, i've heard the term Xillenial to refer to the 5 year cusp that people like myself fall into.
samiamco
+4
Level 69
Jan 25, 2017
Evilpenguin ~ I think in that case you can pretty much self-assess. My husband was also born in '64 and wore long hair and tie-dye and listened to a lot of 70s prog rock. I, on the other hand, born in '66, was all about Depeche Mode, big perms, leg warmers, and irony. We're a cross-generational marriage? :-)
IsleAuHaulte
+1
Level 89
Jul 6, 2018
Guys didn't listen to Depeche Mode and Tracey Ullman in the 80s. You're normal.
Hugh2000
+1
Level 68
Aug 3, 2023
My Dad was born in late 60’s and Depeche Mode is his favourite band and he had a poster of Tracey Ullman on his wall and is still a big fan today as am I.
panscedar
+1
Level 68
Mar 9, 2017
I hear you. My husband was born in 1967 and never tires of telling me he is Gen X but I am a Baby Boomer.
Bhall
+1
Level 65
Mar 9, 2017
I was born in 1964 as well but I definitely feel more aligned (one of) with Baby Boomers than Gen Xers.
partdavid
+1
Level 71
Dec 27, 2021
You are actually exactly who "Generation X" referred to when it was first coined. It was not referring to the children of baby boomers, but to the baby bust generation between the boomers and when the boomers had their kids.

Douglas Coupland in his book Generation X calls these kids (the children of baby boomers) "Global Teens", which, of course, sucks as a name. Because "Generation X" was such a catchy name, and no good name ever caught on for the "Baby Boom Echo" kids, the meaning got smeared and diluted until now the term covers the whole thing.

I'm a children of baby boomers born in the early '70s but was married to someone born in the mid-sixties and we really were two different generations, with not much overlap in our cultural touchstones. That person was definitely Generation X, and I was not; but since then I've just accepted that people call us Gen-Xers now. It's better than being called a boomer, which has become a kind of sloppy catch-all synonym for "old".

FamousRob
+1
Level 85
Jan 15, 2017
What's with every second generation having a depressing name?
Tramp
+4
Level 76
Mar 9, 2017
Generation X sounds pretty cool
LordDespAus
+1
Level 65
Mar 10, 2017
As a guy born on the cusp of gen z according to some measures (not this one), this worries me.
kalbahamut
+5
Level 82
Mar 9, 2017
If you want to find the lost generation I'd suggest going to a cemetery and digging. Found!
Eagle14
+4
Level 17
Mar 13, 2017
I'm from the lost generation and I'm not in a cemetery.
IsleAuHaulte
+2
Level 89
Jul 6, 2018
The last World War One veteran at 117 right there.
kalbahamut
+2
Level 82
Dec 23, 2021
You're in your 130s?
JackintheBox
+1
Level 79
Dec 23, 2021
Probably 120s.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Dec 23, 2021
More probably a liar.
jajaco2017
+2
Level 57
Mar 9, 2017
and now is the

"JetPunk Generation" -)

ander217
+2
Level 75
Mar 9, 2017
My brother was born in 1943 and I can tell you for certain, he and his friends were anything but "silent". I had to look it up to see why they were called that. Wikipedia calls the Greatest Generation the "G.I. Generation", and they also added Generation Z after Millenials. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation#List_of_generations
Bobcat108
+1
Level 70
Mar 9, 2017
According to Strauss & Howe's generational theory, the last year of the Silents was 1942 & the Boomers (not Baby Boomers, just Boomers) started in 1943. They also end the Boomer generation in 1960 rather than 1964. I'm of the '63 cohort & identify more w/Gen X (or as S&H call us, the 13ers) than Boomers, but I'd definitely consider myself to be at the tail end of Generation Jones as well.
Moosefight
+1
Level 60
Mar 9, 2017
"gi" apparently gives Greatest Generation for some reason?
Bobcat108
+1
Level 70
Mar 9, 2017
It's also called the GI Generation, because during WWII, men in the US Army were referred to as GIs. Supposedly GI stands for government issue, although I've heard that that's been debunked.
kapulani3
+5
Level 74
Mar 9, 2017
The silent generation is the least remembered. Maybe they should have spoken up more.
Landerson
+1
Level 59
Mar 9, 2017
Quizmaster can you add boomers for baby boomers and baby busters for generation X?
Devondragin
+1
Level 52
Mar 9, 2017
accept boomers
Jacktheguy
+2
Level 90
Mar 9, 2017
I guess "Me Generation" isn't acceptable?
kinjapan
+2
Level 72
Mar 9, 2017
I tried that too! I forgot they were called babyboomers back before the world got to know them better.
divantilya
+1
Level 36
Mar 10, 2017
You're mistaken. The "Me" generation is the one FOLLOWING the Baby-Boomers.
joeythelemur
+3
Level 83
Nov 30, 2021
Uh, definitely not. Gen X isn't the "me" generation.
pkerr116
+2
Level 73
Dec 10, 2021
We, Gen X, the kids of the Me/Boomers were told to go outside and play. We got a key for the front door to come home after school at 3:00 because nobody would be home when we got there - both parents working and we were largely only children. Our parents were incredibly self-focused. Us? We thrived during pandemic lockdowns because we had so much practice entertaining ourselves 30-40 years ago. Pretty sure Gen X is the opposite of the 'Me' Generation in the context it is usually meant.
BB123
+2
Level 51
Jan 5, 2018
The "Silent Generation" included such people as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, James Dean and Muhammad Ali. In terms of popular culture, it arguably had more influence than any of the succeeding generations.

No one from it was elected to the White House though (Carter and Bush Sr. were born just before and Clinton, Bush Sr. and Trump were born just after) so maybe that's part of the reason for the name.

IsleAuHaulte
+1
Level 89
Jul 6, 2018
Mohammed Ali was pretty subdued. They probably named it for him.
cornflakesfu
+3
Level 87
Dec 15, 2018
. . . is this comment sarcasm?

"At a time when most fighters let their managers do the talking, Ali thrived in and indeed craved the spotlight, where he was often provocative and outlandish."

IsleAuHaulte
+1
Level 89
Feb 9, 2022
It was.
tschutzer
+1
Level 91
Oct 1, 2022
It's troubling that something so patently the complete opposite of the truth is now expected to be footnoted as sarcasm.

"Oscar the Grouch was such a ray of sunshine!"

"...is this comment sarcasm? And I quote from the Sesame Street Wiki..."

akp713
+4
Level 86
Nov 27, 2021
Biden is Silent Generation, so they finally got one in the White House.
TheWombat
+1
Level 73
Jan 29, 2022
'Silent' my Aunt Fanny! In my experience they rarely shut up.
divantilya
+1
Level 36
Apr 28, 2018
One question: Why aren't the generations consistent? The Lost Generation = 17 years; The Silent Generation = 20 years; The

Greatest Generation = 23 years; The Baby Boomers = 18 years;

Generation X = 15 years, and The Millenials = 20 years. What gives?

InfiniteBulk
+2
Level 66
Apr 5, 2021
Generations are divided generally by certain qualities that other generations don't have at that age. These qualities are often not passed on due to certain events such as war or 9/111.
Margles1
+5
Level 41
Feb 1, 2019
“IGen” is another name for “Generation Z”. Google the term and see. There have been books and articles written using that term.

Also, as a member of Generation X that we are not the Me Generation. We are the farthest thing from it. I don’t know who is the Me Generation. It could be the Boomers OR the Millenials as far as I’m concerned. Both those generations seem to think they are the center of the universe.

WillemLAif
+4
Level 76
Nov 30, 2021
Baby boomers are the one and the only original "Me Generation". The whole name became fashionable long before the Millennials would be born (early to mid 1970s).

A recent study at the very beginning of the covid circus (very late 2019) found that the baby boomers are not only the most narcissistic generation alive, but also the most hyper-sensitive a.k.a. "Snowflakes". (Which surprised many)

However... multiple studies find that the society as a whole continues to grow in favoring & rewarding narcissistic traits (very roughly: self-absorbed indulgence of the 1970s -> selfish, greedy YUPpie 1980s -> global audience via the internet 1990s -> social media 2000s -> etc).

All that said, the topic is highly debated and there is no definitive answer. Even more importantly, not all individuals of one generation fit the description of "their" generation, which should be obvious... but we love to stereotype.

IsleAuHaulte
+1
Level 89
Feb 9, 2022
"A recent study" means nothing. Alex Jones conducts 100s.
Sifhraven
+2
Level 71
Jul 30, 2019
Might be me but I dont think I ve heard of millenials until relatively recently ( not before 1990) And I never (would) have thought that people that were adults (18+) at 2000 at 2000 were considered millenials.... Techinically I fit in the group, but always thought it was the group that came several years behind me.

I would ve thought people born from about 1990 and up were milenials. The kids that grew up with computers and internet and dont know and remember a time before it. (or even when there were no smartphones but at least dont remember there not being mobile phones) The ones that were still teens in the year 2000.

I find it really weird to call someone that is 39 a millenial... in my mind someone that is 19 is a millenial.. (and instinctively I actually expect info to back that up, but good chance I wont find it, because no one else commented about it...so I guess I ve had the wrong idea all this time)

Timothy2b
+1
Level 58
Aug 12, 2019
It depends on definition, but most definitions would not call people born in 1980 millennials. Most start the generation a few years later, between 1981 and 1985. Many define 2000-borns as millennials, but not all. The end year for millennials is anywhere between 1994/95 and 2004.

The most restrictive definition is 1982-1994 (I think), whereas the longest is 1982-2004, which is also the original definition created by the people who coined the term millennials, Neil Howe and William Strauss. It's also the definition I personally agree with the most.

InfiniteBulk
+1
Level 66
Apr 5, 2021
Many people born in the early 1980's consider themselves a cross between Gen X and millenials due to being born when everything was changing. Sometimes the term "Xennials" comes up as a supposed microgeneration.
pkerr116
+1
Level 73
Dec 10, 2021
I agree - I think the consensus starting year for Gen Y/Millenials ought to be between 1985-1990. Gen X got shortchanged on so much - a traditional 'generation' used to be 20 years, so of course ours gets cut to 15. Don't even get me started on Social Security LOL
Moos1005
+3
Level 84
Sep 25, 2020
In response to one of your earlier comments, Quizmaster, and also as a proud member of Gen Z, I can tell you that we very much adopted that name and it's unlikely that it will change in the future. Furthermore since Gen Z now officially starts around 1996 and many of us are teens or young adults I think it is time to include this generation in the quiz. (I'd even assume that the latest babies born will be counted into an even younger generation in the future.)
WanderLust
+1
Level 96
Apr 10, 2021
Doesn't a generation have to be 18-20 years? Why short change Gen X with just 15 years? I've also heard of Gen X going from 1964 or 1965 to 1982.
xyzzy
+2
Level 70
Nov 29, 2021
Cuspers of the world unite!
Carry
+1
Level 63
Nov 30, 2021
Where my millenials at? :D
RobNobody
+1
Level 77
Dec 23, 2021
Busy paying off student loans.
pkerr116
+3
Level 73
Dec 10, 2021
Born in 1969. I have excellent recall from a very, very young age and I've had an odd sense all my life. I've felt like I've spent my entire life entering a vacuum. Every 'trend' of life - going to college, starting a family, the kind of car to buy, etc - I've always been slightly late to the party. Like arriving to a party just as the guests have begun to leave. It's been uncanny. I've always felt more synchronized with Gen Y - I personally feel like Gen X ought to extend from 1965 through 1985 at least or maybe even as far as 1990. More shared experiences as a cohort, at least as it seems from my perspective.
Malbaby
+2
Level 70
Dec 23, 2021
I notice you are the last comment.
johnappleseed
+1
Level 49
Dec 23, 2021
alpha?
mirleeo
+1
Level 43
Dec 23, 2021
Problem is, different websites will be different answers for generations. Not only birth year but also the generation names. I was born i 1984 and according to most sites, I fall under the cusp of Generation Y and MIllenial
hwes
+1
Level 86
Dec 23, 2021
My daughter, 1998, identifies as a millennial and perceives a difference between her and those a few years younger viewing them as far more tech reliant or addicted. She and her group of friends refer to those younger as iGens -- as social media and tech in general is far more prevelant with those younger. The iGen term appears to be replacing Gen Z. Using letters is fairly simplistic, Gen X stems from a book which perfectly described a generation left alone with no direction and treated as an after thought (ie me). To continue with Y and Z misses the point -- it doesn't describe anything.
Quagga50
+1
Level 80
Dec 12, 2022
In my experience, Gen Z is far and away the most used term. This comment section is the first time I've even heard of iGen.
Quagga50
+1
Level 80
Dec 12, 2022
After thinking about it a little more, if any generation is going to be iGen, it'll be the current one: alpha.

I was born in the very late 90s and sure social media was a thing when I was a kid and most kids had cellphones by middle school, but I'm not sure that's enough of a paradigm shift to demarcate generations. However, what does appear to be serious enough is the "kid raised by an iPad" trope that's started in the last 7 or 8 years. That's just so fundamentally different from how I was raised, and it seems to be pervasive. Toss on a fully-matured influencer culture and endless content psychologically engineered to be hyper-addictive and that seems a lot closer to an iGen than a bunch of kids whose social media exposure was posting "cheese tastes really good" to Facebook and watching a few videos on YouTube during computer time at school.

Bonzo65
+1
Level 70
Dec 23, 2021
As a Baby Boomer, I remember when Generation X was the name of Billy Idol's punk band in the early 80's.
EvanAviator
+1
Level 59
Dec 23, 2021
ur kinda old
madmoney
+2
Level 46
Dec 23, 2021
Generation Z has already ended; the next Generation is Generation Alpha.
lucd13
+1
Level 69
Dec 23, 2021
Do Americans not acknowledge generation Xennial? It's for those born between 1977 and 1984.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xennials

SpartanLlama
+1
Level 68
Dec 23, 2021
Not a full generation, a generation is usually a period of 20 years, so smaller subgroups with more specific timeframes aren't relevant here
SpartanLlama
+1
Level 68
Dec 23, 2021
Just missed Lost Gen
SpartanLlama
+1
Level 68
Dec 23, 2021
Gen Y should be accepted for Millennials
Hampus
+1
Level 56
Dec 25, 2021
Bleh.
SeaNomad
+1
Level 78
Jan 3, 2022
There is quite a lot of variation in these terms and the definitions of them between countries.

For example here in Finland we talk about "big year classes", which is pretty similar to "baby boomers" but limited to people born 1945-1950.

PoetsCorner
+1
Level 86
Sep 11, 2022
What happened to the Beat Generation?
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Aug 28, 2023
They were destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the streets at dawn looking for an angry fix.
Neodymium
+1
Level 59
Jun 8, 2024
dang stop hypercontextualizing yallselves into generations theres no difference in 1 year fr
Neodymium
+1
Level 59
Jun 8, 2024
gen alpha?
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