BirthAlmanac
English

Eight cohorts, four sources

Generations

Only one of these ranges is official. The baby boom (1946–1964) comes from the US Census Bureau, read straight off the birth-rate record. The Silent Generation, Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z are boundaries drawn by the Pew Research Center for its own survey work. Generation Alpha and Generation Beta come from McCrindle, a market-research consultancy, not a body of researchers with any official standing — and McCrindle starts Alpha in 2010, so births in 2010, 2011 and 2012 are Generation Z on Pew's table and Generation Alpha on McCrindle's. The Greatest Generation is Tom Brokaw's name, and he set no dates. Every range but one here is a naming convention, not a settled fact.

19001920194019601980200020202040The Greatest Generation1901–1927The Silent Generation1928–1945Baby Boomers1946–1964Generation X1965–1980Millennials1981–1996Generation Z1997–2012Generation Alpha2010–2024Generation Beta2025–20391900194019802020The Greatest Generation, 1901–1927The Silent Generation, 1928–1945Baby Boomers, 1946–1964Generation X, 1965–1980Millennials, 1981–1996Generation Z, 1997–2012Generation Alpha, 2010–2024Generation Beta, 2025–2039

Boundary set by researchers or the birth record Named by a writer or a consultancy, or claimed by two sources; the dates are not settled

Only the baby boom has an official definition, taken from the birth rate. Everything after Generation Z, and everything before the Silent Generation, is a label somebody proposed. McCrindle starts Generation Alpha in 2010, before Pew ends Generation Z in 2012, so those three years belong to both. As at 2026.
Ranges as commonly used, each with who drew it. “Contested” marks a range named by a writer or a consultancy rather than drawn by researchers or the birth record. Even a “settled” range has rival tables, and each generation's page says where they disagree.
GenerationBornDefined byStatus
The Greatest Generation1901–1927Tom Brokaw, The Greatest Generation (1998)Contested
The Silent Generation1928–1945Pew Research CenterSettled
Baby Boomers1946–1964US Census BureauOfficial
Generation X1965–1980Pew Research CenterSettled
Millennials1981–1996Pew Research CenterSettled
Generation Z1997–2012Pew Research CenterSettled
Generation Alpha2010–2024Mark McCrindle, McCrindle ResearchContested
Generation Beta2025–2039Mark McCrindle, McCrindle ResearchContested

How these boundaries are actually decided →

Find yours

Browse every generation below, or look a birth year up directly.