What a generation label tells you
Generation names are a shorthand for something real: people born within the same span of years meet the same world at the same ages. They start school in the same era, enter work in the same economy and pick up new technology at the same point in their lives. A Baby Boomer saw television arrive in childhood; a Millennial met the internet as a teenager; Generation Z had smartphones in their pockets before they left school. The band above lays out the generations from the start of the twentieth century, with your birth marked on it.
Tap any block to read about that generation and compare it with your own. If you were born within a couple of years of a boundary, the page tells you that you are a cusper, with a foot in each camp.
How we calculate it
We place your birth year within the generation spans most widely used in the United States, from the Pew Research Center for the generations up to Gen Z, and the commonly used dates for Alpha and Beta. We then work out how far through your generation you were born, whether you fall within two years of a boundary, and the age range your generation covers today. For generations that began after 1950, we also add up the babies born worldwide during those years, using UN figures.
| Generation | Born | Age in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928–1945 | 81–98 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946–1964 | 62–80 |
| Generation X | 1965–1980 | 46–61 |
| Millennials | 1981–1996 | 30–45 |
| Generation Z | 1997–2012 | 14–29 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013–2024 | 2–13 |
| Generation Beta | 2025–2039 | 0–1 |
Worked example. Someone born on 12 April 1990 is a Millennial, in the second half of the generation that runs from 1981 to 1996. In 2026 Millennials are aged between 30 and 45, and about 2.2 billion babies were born worldwide during those years.
Beyond the labels
Treat generation stereotypes with care: research consistently finds that people within one generation differ far more than the averages between generations. The more useful idea is shared timing. Knowing what was new when someone was 10 or 20 explains a lot about the music they love, the technology they trust and the way they think about money.
Questions people ask
Who decides the generation years?
Nobody officially. The years most widely used in the US come from the Pew Research Center, which sets Baby Boomers as 1946 to 1964, Generation X as 1965 to 1980, Millennials as 1981 to 1996 and Generation Z as 1997 to 2012. Later generations are commonly dated Alpha 2013 to 2024 and Beta from 2025, though some researchers start Alpha in 2010.
What is a cusper?
Someone born near the boundary between two generations, who often feels part of both. Well-known cusp groups include Xennials, born around 1977 to 1983, between Generation X and Millennials, and Zillennials, born around 1993 to 1998.
Do generations really share traits?
They share the timing of world events and technology, which is real and measurable. Claims about personality are much weaker: differences within a generation are far bigger than differences between them.
Are these labels used outside the US?
Increasingly, yes, although countries had their baby booms and turning points at slightly different times. The labels fit the US most closely.
Sources. Pew Research Center generation definitions (2019); McCrindle Research on Generations Alpha and Beta; UN World Population Prospects 2024 for births. Calculations run in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.